What is the relationship between the Ripple secret key and the wallet name/passphrase? The Ripple client has both a wallet name/passphrase and a secret key, and to the newbie it's not clear why there are two secrets. The client advises the user to write down the secret key and keep it safe so the funds can be recovered if the wallet is lost. If the funds can be recovered using just the secret key, then why does it have a wallet name/passphrase as well?

Is the wallet name/passphrase just for convenience (easy to remember)?

Why can't the wallet name/passphrase be changed?

Why not generate the secret key from the wallet name/passphrase so that the user has only one secret to keep safe?
Is the wallet name/passphrase just for convenience (easy to remember)?


Yes. Because anyone trying to steal your funds would first have to get hold of your wallet file before he could use the passphrase, it doesn't have to be quite as secure as the secret.


  Why can't the wallet name/passphrase be changed?


Because then you'd have two passphrases you'd have to keep secure forever to protect your account. The decrypted wallet yields the secret and the secret owns the account. There's generally no way to be sure you've destroyed every copy of your wallet.


  Why not generate the secret key from the wallet name/passphrase so that the user has only one secret to keep safe?


That would defeat the point of the passphrase because it would no longer be able to be any less secure than the secret. Anyone could try common name / passphrase combinations at a very high rate to see if any of them matched existing accounts.