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diff --git a/contrib/why-gnupg b/contrib/why-gnupg new file mode 100644 index 000000000..289b9af8c --- /dev/null +++ b/contrib/why-gnupg @@ -0,0 +1,80 @@ +Why to use GnuPG and not PGP. +----------------------------- + + * PGP 2 is nearly Free Software but encumbered by the IDEA patent. + + * PGP 2 is old, hard to maintain and limited to one set of + encryption algorithms (RSA + IDEA) + + * PGP 2 is not a GNU or Unix Program and threfore not easy to use in + those environments + + * PGP 2 has a couple of minor security flaws + + * PGP 5 and 6 are more or less OpenPGP conform but proprietray + software. Source code is available but there is no way to be sure + that the distributed binary versions do match the source code. + Parts of the source code are not published. It is illegal to + build versions of PGP from source and distribute them (IIRC, there + is an exception for private users). + + * PGP 5 and 6 are not fullty OpenPGP compliant + + * PGP 7 is claimed to be OpenPGP compliant but the source code is + not anymore published. + + * At least versions before 6.5.8 had severe coding bugs. We don't + know about PGP 7. + + * PGP 5, 6 and 7 implement complicated methods for key recovering in + corporate environments. Although this is not a hidden feature, + this leads to more code and bugs. + + * NAI as the vendor of PGP seems to be a major government contractor. + + * Given the history of known backdoors in other proprietary software + (e.g. Lotus Notes), some folks claim that there might also be + backdoors in PGP 5, 6 and 7. Now there are even more rumors after + Phil Zimmermann left NAI. + + * GnuPG is Free Software under the GNU GPL. It does not use + patented algorithms. + + * Everyone is able to scrutinize the source code, build, distribute + and use versions of his own or from a trusted party he chooses. + + * The build environment is also Free Software and therefore less + likely tampered with malicious code. The exception here is the MS + Windows version of GnuPG where the OS is proprietary. The binary + version however is build using an entirely Free Software OS and + toolchain (cross-platfrom development under GNU/Linux). + + * Security fixes are provided very fast. + + * GnuPG is a standard tool in all GNU/Linux systems and used in many + different environments. + + * GnuPG gives reasonable messages and not just "Error encrypting". + + * GnuPG supports most of the optional features of the OpenPGP standard. + + * GnuPG comes with internationalization support for 16 languages. + + * Graphical frontends are available and they divert the task of + the actual cryptographic operations to GnuPG as a specialized tool + for this. A library called GPGME is available which makes + interfacing of GnuPG with other programs quite easy. + + * GnuPG is available for all GNU and Unix platforms as well as for + all MS Windows Operating systems. Porting to VMS, MAC OSX and + OS/2 is nearly finished. + + + + + + + + + + |