Gavin writes:

> Wirt wrote:
>
>  >      o  It is a fixed algorithm. While SSL is a current industry
standard,
>  > it's only one standard.
>
>  I don't claim to know much about SSL, but my impression is that it is
>  just a protocol, and doesn't imply any particular algorithm.  At connect
>  time, the two ends negotiate to select a common encryption method that is
>  available to both installations.  So I *think* it's fair to say that SSL
>  is adequate from the point of view of needing to support new algorithms
>  in the future.

I'm certainly no expert either, but a basic (1995-era) explanation of SSL can
be found at:

    http://byerley.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~tonym/articles/ssl/node3.html

with a confusing (although heartfelt attempt at making it clear) explanation
at:

    http://cgi.netscape.com/products/security/ssl/howitworks.html

Wirt Atmar