[BSDCert] Peer Certifications

[Jim Brown]

* Matt Juszczak <matt at atopia.net> [2005-04-18 05:31]:
> Hi all,
> 
> OK.  I haven't been keeping up on the mailing list, so if i am stepping 
> in on anyone's idea here, please just thwap me with a stick.  But 
> anyway, this idea has lingered in the back of my head for years now and 
> I never took it seriously until a few days ago.
> 

Hi Matt,

No stick here.  The idea of peer certification has been around for a while.
And as you indicated, they parallel nicely with the 'web of trust' ideas in public
key cryptography.

The essential problem is that there is still no way to verify skills.
Even though you have two, three or more individuals involved in verifying someone,
there is still the possibility of collusion.  It's truly difficult to measure
skill level without seeing actual performance.  Perhaps you can build that in.

The idea does have merit as a reference point for individuals who may be
recommended for a job, so your API idea for monster sounds interesting.

Good luck with your project.

Best Regards,
Jim B.