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List:       kmail-devel
Subject:    Re: PGP 2 support
From:       Werner Koch <wk () gnupg ! org>
Date:       2001-10-30 12:06:12
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On Mon, 29 Oct 2001 23:09:02 +0100, Ingo Klöcker said:

> BTW, GnuPG doesn't fully support OpenPGP.

>     * (9.2) states that IDEA SHOULD be implemented.  This is not done
>       due to patent problems.

Please read rfc2119:

 3. SHOULD   This word, or the adjective "RECOMMENDED", mean that there
    may exist valid reasons in particular circumstances to ignore a
    particular item, but the full implications must be understood and
    carefully weighed before choosing a different course.

There are no RFCs on the standard track which require a patented
algorithm.  This is an IETF policy and therefore a pretty good reason
not to implement it.

> This means that if we didn't support PGP 5/6 we really wouldn't be able 
> to claim to support OpenPGP. But as we do...

Nonsense. PGP 5 and 6 are far away from OpenPGP compliance and even
PGP 7 has a couple of problems.

Regarding PGP/MIME: From rfc2440:

   Note that many applications, particularly messaging applications,
   will want more advanced features as described in the OpenPGP-MIME
   document, RFC 2015. An application that implements OpenPGP for
   messaging SHOULD implement OpenPGP-MIME.

Yet another SHOULD.  So what did you "carefully weighed before
choosing a different course" than OpenPGP-MIME ;-)


  Werner

-- 
Werner Koch        Omnis enim res, quae dando non deficit, dum habetur
g10 Code GmbH      et non datur, nondum habetur, quomodo habenda est.
Privacy Solutions                                        -- Augustinus

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