From: Ron Davis <rondavis@datawatch.com>
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 94 06:23:37 PST
To: "Timothy C. May" <tcmay@netcom.com>
Subject: Re: Mac encryption
Message-ID: <9402230923.aa14077@gateway.datawatch.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


>> What is everyones opinion of the best encryption software forthe Mac?
>> Frederic Halper
>> fhalper@pilot.njin.net
>
>MacPGP, available by anonymous ftp from the soda.berkeley.edu site, is
>the only one I know of using public key methods, and hence the only
>one of real interest to Cypherpunks.

        I find this to be a strange statement.  Do we have no interest
        in non-public key methods?  Seems the Cypherpunks should have
        an interest in all forms of crypto.  Most users don't currently
        use public key becuase they just want to keep thier boss from
        sitting down at thier computer and reading the resumes they wrote
        for other companies.  This can be accomplished with symetrical
        crypto just as well, if not faster than PGP.

>Commerical products (like the various "Kent Marsh" products) are
>mostly DES-or-weaker and are oriented toward local file protection.
>(MacPGP will do that, too, of course).

        Cryptomatic does come with Triple DES which is still a very
        strong method.

        Unfortunatly MacPGP's biggest draw back is that its interface
        is poor and it is hard to use.  There is also MacRIPEM which is
        written by Raymond Lau, author of Stuffit, and is much easier to
        use, but weaker than PGP (but legal).

>
>About six or seven years ago I bought "Sentinel," from SuperMac, and
>used it a few times. The problems were obvious: lack of other users
>(so my friends couldn't receive or send), and the symmetric cipher
>nature (we had to share keys for a message). Public key systems based
>on PGP have solved both problems (though problems of convenience
>remain).
>
        Can't stop without mentioning that my company make a product
        called Citadel which does DES encryption.

___________________________________________________________________________
"I want to know God's thoughts...the rest are details."
                                           -- Albert Einstein
_________________________________________
Ron Davis                                  rondavis@datawatch.com       
Datawatch, Research Triangle Park, NC      (919)549-0711