[23887] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
Re: History and definition of the term 'principal'?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (John Denker)
Wed Apr 26 15:28:42 2006
X-Original-To: cryptography@metzdowd.com
X-Original-To: cryptography@metzdowd.com
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 15:20:38 -0400
From: John Denker <jsd@av8n.com>
To: Hadmut Danisch <hadmut@danisch.de>
Cc: cryptography@metzdowd.com
In-Reply-To: <20060426163343.GA1635@danisch.de>
Hadmut Danisch wrote:
> is anyone aware of a general and precise definition of the term
> 'principal' (as a noun) in the context of security?
Its use in security does not AFAICT differ from its use in
other contexts, notably law and finance.
I don't see why it is necessary to look beyond an ordinary dictionary.
See definition 5 here:
http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/p/p0563200.html
> "We generalize this notion by defining the term _principal_ to mean
> an individual or group of individuals to whom charges are made for
> the expenditure of system resources. In particular a principal is
> charged for resources consumed by computations running on his
> behalf."
That is an application or a corollary of the dictionary definition.
Ditto for the other examples mentioned.
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