I have been selling various software for 15 years in different ways so I have some experience. Unfortunately, open source does not work.
So SSL introduction was not about security of the miners?
Absolutely no.
1. SSL encryption increases data size and thus latency. Even if you have ultra fast CPU, it still increases it. So no win here.
2. SSL prevents packet editing. This is not a concern for miners, but it protects dev fee packets.
3. SSL is not enforced literally, but having 2% fee vs 2.5% enforces it anyway. Not miner dev requests it from pools, but people. Smart trick.
4. SSL does not allow you to check what is sent on wire as was said already. You can trust Claymore, but other may (will) follow the example.
5. If Claymore thought about miners' protection he would better add a simple password protection for management port. Seems few people had issues when found their rigs mining for someone else. Easy to set it to read-only, but adding a password is also easy comparing to extra work to add an SSL layer and actually introduce it for open protocol using trick with the fee.
Let me guess next possible steps (I do not insist they are planned, just are possible):
1) Remove plain stratum and keep SSL only (less probable).
2) Reduce mining speed for plain protocol (no fee mode) and still provide full rate for SSL channel (and ALL will demand it from pools). Why not, it's exactly the same as 2% vs 2.5% trick, only better.
3) In addition to channel protection (to keep transit data safe) add also pool certificate check. This means that only few pools with known certificates will be usable with particular miner. If pool changes it (in rare case) - new version of miner is created. This way no one will be able to remove the fee outside of the miner (even using SSL proxy). This is for those who wrote above it's impossible. It's quite easy, actually, and I wonder if it already is in place.
4) Step 3 means people will hack the code to remove certificate check or rather to remove the fee at all. No matter how good a protection is, it may be broken. I've heard about hacked miners on Chinese forums, this time they will be much more distributed.
5) Step 4 means more viruses in hacked binaries. Of course, we use only original binaries, but it is possible. I've heard someone had BTC stolen after downloading some Windows Zcash wallet after Zcash launch.
So to make things clear: SSL DOES NOT help miners or their security in ANY way, but MAY reduce profits due to increased packet sizes, thus, more stale shares. SSL DOES protect developer fee only, but introduces extra closed layer in open protocols that is a very bad idea. And finally, using tricks like different fee, it uses people (like sheeps, do you like it or not) to put pressure on pool operators to add encryption (for less fee or soon for full rate?) that is useless for mining as such.
