[Python-Dev] Names matter.

[Guido van Rossum]

On 1/16/06, Steve Holden <steve at holdenweb.com> wrote:
> Jim Fulton wrote:
> > In general though, for adults, truthfulness and non-anonymity *do*
> > matter.  At least they matter to me, a *lot*.  I don't think members
> > of the PSF should be allowed to hide their identity and certainly,
> > it should not be acceptable to contribute to Python under a false name.

Agreed. Also, I find it difficult to exchange emails with someone who
is known by an alias only.

> In principle I think you are correct.
>
> In practice it's difficult to see how to nsure this without insistence
> on some digital certificate from an acceptable CA - by which I mean one
> that actually checks a driving license or passport before asserting a
> user's identity. Both CACert and Thawte have web-of-trust-like schemes
> to support this.
>
> In the meantine what do we do? Ask for a signed statement that
> contributors are contributing under their own identities?

I think that's unnecessary, and not any more effective than what we
already do -- ask for a signed contributor form. Someone who signs
that form "Tim Peters" won't be stopped by a clause asking them to use
their real name, *really*.

--
--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)