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PGP News






******************** Posted by BurmaNet ************************
  "Appropriate Information Technologies--Practical Strategies"
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PGP NEWS (FORWARD FROM ALT.SECURITY.PGP)

by Jim Ebright   e-mail: ebright@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In article <2thhn5$m8b@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Randy Taylor <jtaylo3@xxxxxxxx> wrote: 

>Clue me in - what version of PGP is safe these days - 2.3a, 2.6, 2.6ui ?
>Also, what the &^%$ is going on ?! - is all the hubub over the new 
>versions of PGP a nefarious scheme by The Powers That Be (tm) to sow 
>seeds of doubt and clouds of confusion on us ?

Who's on first.  What's on second... etc.

Don't be suprised you are confused.  I read this group almost every
day and still am confused at times myself.

PGP 2.3a ... bug fix of 2.3  last general release of the 'traditional PGP'
             Available world wide on many platforms.

PGP 2.5  ... ViaCrypt's version of PGP.  Good for full commercial use.
             Available for PCs in the USofA.  No export license has been
             granted by the Friends of Big Brother (not a holding company).

PGP 2.6  ... The 'Official MIT' release.  Some folks at the 'tute got
             together and built a fully PKP-RSA lisence compliant version
             of PGP.  Even Mr. Know-It-All (ya, I know WHICH ONE?? :)  
             agrees this can be used without legal problems.  

             Unfortunately, the folks at PKP have a hard-on for Phil Zimmerman 
             (the original author of PGP) and they insisted it have a legal
             kludge (does NOT rhyme with fudge :)  that will make it produce
             msgs after Sep(?) 94 which will not be readable by all prior
             versions of PGP.  But, in general, the folks at the 'tute did one
             on the folks at PKP and the NSA and we gotta applaud them <clap,
             clap>.      

             Of course you can not export this version and of course this
             version is now available worldwide :)  (Cyberspace knows no
             metric of distance or nationalality.)
     
             This version is available for the PC and just recently for
             the MAC.  As you pointed out, it is having teething problems
             and I would wait for the first maintenance release :)

PGP 2.6ui ...This is PGP 2.6 without the legal kludges PKP wanted put
             into PGP 2.6.  Done in Europe and available world wide.
             But Mr. Know-It-All will warn you it is EVIL because it has
             not been explicitly blessed by PKP.  See 'FUD'.

TLAs:
MAC -- a dying line of computers made by the next Commode-A-Door Inc.
PKP -- Public Key Partners.  A company that claims to own all rights
       to all public key encryption methods.  See 'monopoly' and
       'skimming the cream' to understand their actions.
FUD -- Fear, Uncertaintity and Doubt.  A method used by preditors to
       paralyze their prey.  See 'Microsoft marketing'.
TLA -- Three Letter Acronym.  The basic thought unit of cyberfolk.
  
      **All errors and ommissions are mine and I did them ** 
      *** deliberately to see if any of you are awake ;) ***

-- 
 A/~~\A   'moo2u from osu'   Jim Ebright   e-mail: ebright@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
((0  0))_______  "A million dollars, ... I can get that.  I can get that
  \  /    the  \  in cash.  That's no problem." -secret White House tape.
  (--)\   OSU  | "Always be your best.  Never be petty." -resignation speech.