[equinox-dev] authentication vs authorization

[Scott Lewis <slewis@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I think I speak for a number of folks when I make the assertion that we 
would like to see both authentication and authorization added to the 3.2 
release of the platform.  This is particularly true for projects like 
ECF, where having some way to authenticate the local user and get access 
to secure credentials for accessing remote accounts is very important.  
Of course, in the long term it's also important that there be some way 
to secure access to runtime bundles...and run potentially untrusted code 
(at least not completely trusted code).

There is, I think, a real need for the emerging RCP app development 
community to have at least a first cut authentication/login security in 
Eclipse 3.2.  Although I think it would be terrirfic to have a general 
solution for authorization as well in that timeframe, I think 
authorization is more clearly more important for most app 
developers...as I think it would be a serious problem for app developers 
using RCP to have to wait beyond 3.2 for *both* authentication and 
authorization. 

Why?  Well, I suspect that many app developers will need to either a) 
begin implementing their own authentication approaches in order to 
create/build their apps; or b) not use RCP at all as the basis of their 
applications.  Obviously, neither a nor b are desireable from the point 
of view of broadening equinox's usage in the app developer community.

So, enough speech making...I just wanted to convey to people what I 
perceive as at least one serious need for equinox in the 3.2 timeframe.  
I know all of you are aware of that need, so I suppose I just wanted to 
make it clearer from the point of view of app developers that would like 
to use equinox as the basis of new, secure, non-IDE applications.

Thanks for listening,

Scott