From: Ron Davis <rondavis@datawatch.com>
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 94 08:19:23 PST
To: dmandl@panix.com
Subject: Re: Mac encryption
Message-ID: <9402231118.aa14357@gateway.datawatch.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


>Cypherpunks do have an interest in all forms of crypto, but there are
>very good reasons why public key is more desirable than symmetric for "our
>purposes."  This is at the very root of the crypto revolution and the
>cypherpunk ethos.  Have you done the basic reading?  (That's a serious
>question, not sarcasm.)

        Depends on what the required reading list for this group is.
        I thought that our purposes were to promote the privacy of
        individuals through the use of cryptography.  This can be done
        in the contexts I talked about with symmetric as well as PK crypto.

        Maybe I have the wrong idea about "our purposes", please correct me
        if I'm wrong.


>PGP _does_ symmetric crypto.

>And MacPGP comes with IDEA, which is at least as strong (as far as we know).

        Rumor has it that Kent Marsh is working on an IDEA module for 
        thier products as well.

>And of course, it does all the public-key encryption and key-management as
>well.  A pretty incredible package, considering its size and cost.

        You're right its free.  If something is free you can't really complain
        about it.  If it does anything its a bargan.

>
>>         Unfortunatly MacPGP's biggest draw back is that its interface
>>         is poor and it is hard to use.
>
>I disagree.

        I can live with disagreement.  Of course hopefully you would admit
        that Cryptomactics ability to select a file in the finder, pull down
        a menu and Boom encrypted file is easier than PGP's methods.

___________________________________________________________________________
"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