From: Derek Atkins <warlord@ATHENA.MIT.EDU>
Date: Mon, 21 Aug 95 14:26:21 PDT
To: ethridge@Onramp.NET (Allen B. Ethridge)
Subject: Re: Newton 2
In-Reply-To: <v02130500ac5e436d94d4@[199.1.11.207]>
Message-ID: <199508212124.RAA28766@charon.MIT.EDU>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


> I've heard a few times that not having a C compiler prevents the
> implementation of PGP.  Why?  Do the RSA people refuse to license a
> non-C implementation.  If so, can they still enforce their patent
> against someone who implemented it on a platform that didn't have a C
> compiler?

The problem is that PGP needs to be compiled from its C sources into a
binary.  The problem is not RSA not licensing; the problem is that PGP
(and all the support routines, including RSA) is implemented in C.
Therefore, if you do not have a C compiler, you cannot turn the
sources into a binary.

If you don't have a c compiler, you could re-implement PGP, but it
would be a lot of work, and you would still have the RSA patent
issues.  Also, it is against the RSAREF license to convert RSAREF into
another language, so you can't take that route, either.

The easiest way to port PGP to a new platform is to get a C compiler
for that platform.

-derek