Gotta say that I generally like the Noise framework (or rather the protocols that result), but it is one of the most impenetrable specifications I've ever read
I don't remember what it is specifically about it, I just remember the document being a pain to read; a bit like the original Paxos paper in that regard.
I don't know about that. As an implementor, it is probably one of the easiest-to-follow specs I've ever worked from. You can pretty much code it from the top of the spec to the bottom; when you get to the handshake patterns section and realize that each is just a different ordering of things in an array or whatnot, it's pretty slick.
I don't remember what it is specifically about it, I just remember the document being a pain to read; a bit like the original Paxos paper in that regard.