Re: [tlug] Re: Draft: Quickie Guide to GPG

[Godwin Stewart <gstewart@example.com>]

On Tue, 3 Sep 2002 00:57:03 +0900, Jonathan Q <jq@example.com> squashed
this out of the keyboard:

> On Mon, Sep 02, 2002 at 03:39:31PM +0200, Tobias Diedrich wrote:
> 
> >Personally I don't like sending signed mails to mailing lists.
> 
> I think it depends on the list.  On technical lists, you see
> a lot more people doing it.  On lists populated by people
> who wouldn't know a digital signature if it fell from the
> sky and hit them, they'll probably think it's some virus or
> something (that exact thing was related to me by another TLUGger).

They do indeed. Most of those poor souls using Lookout! Suxpress are
completely lost because a signed mail shows up as a blank message with two
attachments: one the text of the message and the other the GnuPG signature.
Since they've been told that some attachments are dangerous, but don't know
how to distinguish them from the harmless ones (because of that aggravating
habit of Windows to hide filename extensions) they all think it's a virus
and just delete the mail.

> I GPG-sign (almost) all of my mail, not because I think a forgery
> is particularly likely, but partly because one is not impossible
> either, someday, somewhere.

As far as I'm concerned, in this country it's a legal requirement if you
want to send documents like quotes and bills over the internet, and if you
want to reply to a quote. By signing a mail there's no longer any reasonable
doubt that I sent it.

-- 
G. Stewart   --   gstewart@example.com
                  gstewart@example.com
Registered Linux user #284683

GPG key: BA3D01C6 (pgp.mit.edu)
F'print: C3DF C686 6572 6E59 E3E4  0F40 2B9A 2218 BA3D 01C6
-----------------------------------------------------------
Sign spotted on a repair shop door:
WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING.
(PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR - THE BELL DOESN'T WORK)

Attachment: pgp00007.pgp
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