Comment by 013a
6 years ago
I sometimes start it with "I'm curious; why didn't you use sshd?" I think that does a decent job of clearing up your intentions.
I also believe, as a general rule; don't use the word You. Compare "Why didn't you use sshd" and "Why was sshd selected for this".
I was about to suggest “I’m curious: what about sshd?” And maybe follow up with a reason to use it or doubt it, such as “You could run remote commands through it...” Which naturally leads to “but it doesn’t pass as easily through firewalls as SSL, and key exchange is harder than a URL encoded secret...” Essentially, take your suggestion and expand on it slightly, inviting further conversation?
You could also just bring it up generically, such as: “In the sprit of an FAQ question like ‘What about X?’ I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on how this approach compares to sshd?”
I agree. I use "What about?" almost daily. It can either be a gentle suggestion, or a request for information. Neither is aggressive, so it works out both ways.