From: Hal Finney <hal@rain.org>
Date: Sat, 12 Oct 1996 13:59:32 -0700 (PDT)
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: pgp, edi, s/mime
Message-ID: <199610122049.NAA08133@crypt>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


From: Raph Levien <raph@cs.berkeley.edu>
> I think you're referring to the possibility that PGP 3.0 may use a
> public key algorithm other than RSA. However, if this is the case, it
> won't be compatible with PGP's installed base. In addition, I don't
> believe that there has been a public key encryption algorithm proposed
> which is free of patent controversy.

I have recently gone to work for PGP, Inc.

PGP 3 will support both discrete log and RSA cryptography.  It will
interoperate with both, so that when you send a message to someone
who has an RSA key, it will use RSA, and when you send to someone who
has a discrete log (El Gamal/DSS) key, it will use discrete log
algorithms.  So there is full compatibility with existing keys, while
allowing people to move to cryptography which will be patent free
in the U.S. after next year.

A free version will be available with this functionality, with
source code.  Existing users of PGP will hopefully find it easy
to upgrade.

I cannot say when it will be available, other than to say that the
functionality exists for generating and using all these kinds of keys,
and we have four programmers, including myself, working full time on
getting this version out.

Hal