To: Daniel Kahn Gillmor <dkg@fifthhorseman.net>, notmuch@notmuchmail.org
Subject: Re: using the fringe to indicate good signatures
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From: David Edmondson <dme@dme.org>
Date: Tue, 08 Sep 2015 10:53:44 +0100
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On Tue, Sep 08 2015, Daniel Kahn Gillmor <dkg@fifthhorseman.net> wrote:
>> More seriously, we could use the indentation space for a similar
>> indicator, which would allow us some room at an appropriate depth for
>> each message (but not each part (in the default configuration)).
>
> hm, but couldn't the indentation space be spoofed by a well-crafted
> message?  that is: a non-indented message will consume space up to (but
> not including) the fringe.  so a well-crafted message could be made to
> *look* like an indented message, including whatever is comparable to the
> chrome/UI elements we would use for an actual signed message.

Yes, I guess that is possible at some level.

The fringe is a bitmap - we could use the leftmost vertical line of it
for the outermost component, next line for the next component, ...

Or perhaps use images:
   - all levels of the message at this line are "good",
   - some of the levels of the message at this line are "good".

Or maybe display a QR code in the fringe, and you point your phone at it
to find out what is going on?

> I think it is also acceptable to just punt at some level -- we can say
> "notmuch-emacs will indicate the outermost signed message part in the
> fringe; it will not indicate nested signed messages in the fringe".
> this is still an improvement from the status quo.