RE: [saml-dev] modify assertion attributes.

["Scott Cantor" <cantor.2@osu.edu>]

> Yeah, but that argument could be used about every piece of data 
> within the assertion (they are all attributes of one form or another
> anyway).  Where does one draw the line?

Somewhere other than where SAML draws it, at least syntactically. I
definitely think the AuthnStatement concept is stupid, and so do most people
approaching the spec from outside the process.

> I think that SAML should, for all well defined data elements within
> its area of control, define well defined locations for that data that
> is not dependent upon some generic attribute element (e.g. having a
> NameID element within Subject is the right thing to do - as opposed
> to having a generic "NameID" attribute name that goes in a generic 
> AttributeStatement).

I agree. But the same syntax should have been used, if possible, and
protocols that purport to manipulate one should have been usable for the
other. I don't have a particular technical proposal to make (as Brian said,
it's too late), but it could be better than it is.

-- Scott