If the web-of-trust is centralized (which I am currently under the impression is the case), why isn't the messaging system also?
I think IRC is used as a messaging platform out of convenience. but this lends to various issues in the system (imposters, unauthenticated/unverified users, confusion).
since we don't control the connect/login process of IRC (most newer users use the webchat irc client, and have no pre-registered NickServ identity) we can't enforce or even educate new users at that point about registrations. While we could make the formal OTC channel require registration and identification, that will either exclude such users that don't know about registration, or push them to another channel (often called the "foyer") with less supervision of experienced and helpful users; there they are even more vulnerable to malicious users.
one solution might be to run our own ircd, with perhaps some modifications or an informative MOTD (but who reads those, really? especially among new users?), but this has it's own challenges and requires resources. and this is getting off topic for this thread so I'll stop here.
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given these concerns, how could they be addressed or remedied with bitmessage? (and maybe this merits a separate thread as well, rather than cluttering up this one)
-fb
