From: Tom Weinstein <tomw@netscape.com>
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 16:39:43 +0800
To: Lucky Green <shamrock@netcom.com>
Subject: Re: Netscape
In-Reply-To: <v02120d04ae1763d7df01@[192.0.2.1]>
Message-ID: <31F3E441.446B@netscape.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Lucky Green wrote:
> At 15:27 7/20/96, Tom Weinstein wrote:
> 
>> Why not consider what the consequences will be?  Do you seriously
>> believe that this will make the government stop enforcing ITAR?  Do
>> you believe it will make them change the law?  No.  What it will do
>> is make them remove our permission to distribute this stuff.
> 
> I doubt that. PGP has been distributed for years with less safeguards
> than Netscape. It is available on more free-world sites than Netscape
> US. This did not prompt the powers that be to force MIT to take down
> their site. The feds know that it is impossible to prevent software
> that is available on the net from being exported. Why would they
> harass Netscape once the inevitable happens?

Well, for starters, the genius who put it out there put out a beta,
which has an expiration date, instead of waiting for the final release.
Secondly, millions of people don't use PGP.

Also, notice the simple verification system MIT was allowed to use, and
the complex one we're required to use.

-- 
You should only break rules of style if you can    | Tom Weinstein
coherently explain what you gain by so doing.      | tomw@netscape.com