creating a v2.6 of PGP for the REST of us!

If patches are going to be produced for PGP 2.3a for those of us outside the
USA who wish to send PGP encrypted data to USA users of v2.6, will the 
patches also enable a key from a patched 2.3a to be put onto a USA key-server 
that only accepts v2.6 keys - will the keys be labelled as v2.6?
 
I take it Pr0duct Cypher's patch doesn't include this?
 
Maybe instead of many people producing different patches (some of which will 
be good and some bad) a new version (labelled as v2.6euro?) should be 
released from outside the USA that is derived from 2.3a code; therefore 
producing a version that is no different in _appearance_ to MIT's v2.6. 
 
The point being that an 'ALL-NEW-SUPER-DUPER' version may attract more 
attention outside the USA than, as some may view it, 'just a pointless 
patch' would do.  Also, some ftp sites and bulletin boards outside the USA
don't like carrying software that was illegally exported.  A special non-USA 
version of 2.6 would allow everyone to be happy and compatible.
 
Wouldn't this create a unified world of compatible PGP users?

 
 ***************************************************************************
 *  Paul Strong                           Witty one-liner coming soon!     *
 *                                                                         *
 *  pauls@dcs.rhbnc.ac.uk                 Finger for PGP v2.3a public key  *
 ***************************************************************************

>Maybe instead of many people producing different patches (some of which will 
>be good and some bad) a new version (labelled as v2.6euro?) should be 
>released from outside the USA that is derived from 2.3a code; therefore 
>producing a version that is no different in _appearance_ to MIT's v2.6. 

>                  Also, some ftp sites and bulletin boards outside the USA
>don't like carrying software that was illegally exported.  A special non-USA 
>version of 2.6 would allow everyone to be happy and compatible.

While creating a 2.6-like version from 2.3a seems a worthy goal, this
supporting argument is flawed.  The original PGP was written in the USA
and, never having received the proper export approvals, must have been
"illegally exported."   Isn't Phil Zimmerman being "investigated" by a
grand jury for this even now?  So, it would seem to me that a bulletin
board carrying any version of PGP holds illegally exported software (wrt
US law).  How does 2.3a differ from 2.6 in this respect?


-- Jeff

This is probably a stupid question, but where is PGP 2.6 available for 
anon FTP?  I've only been able to find v. 2.5 so far.  If someone could 
please send me a good FTP address I would be very appreciative.

---
*************************************************************************
** Jeffrey L. Frost (Jeff please)  *     <tsumjf1@asnmail.asc.edu)     **
**     TSU School of Nursing       * Public Key Available upon request **
*************************************************************************

> 
> This is probably a stupid question, but where is PGP 2.6 available for 
> anon FTP?  I've only been able to find v. 2.5 so far.  If someone could 
> please send me a good FTP address I would be very appreciative.
>

You may not find it for anonymous FTP at this point, but you get 
obtain it directly from MIT:

 
Date: Mon, 16 May 94 14:04:01 -0400
Message-Id: <9405161804.AA08573@big-screw>
From: Jeffrey I. Schiller <jis@mit.edu>
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: PGP 2.5 Beta Release Over, PGP 2.6 to be released next week

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

The beta version of PGP 2.5 is now being removed from MIT file servers.

In about a week,  MIT will begin  distribution of a new release numbered
PGP 2.6. PGP 2.6 will incorporate a new version of RSAREF, scheduled for
release by RSA Data Security next week, and  will also correct bugs that
were reported in PGP 2.5.

In order  to   fully protect  RSADSI's intellectual  property  rights in
public-key technology, PGP 2.6 will be designed so  that the messages it
creates after September 1,  1994 will be  unreadable by earlier versions
of PGP that infringe patents licensed exclusively to Public Key Partners
by MIT and Stanford University. PGP 2.6 will continue to be able to read
messages generated by those earlier versions.

MIT's intent is  to discourage continued use  of the earlier  infringing
software,  and to give  people adequate time  to upgrade. As part of the
release process, MIT has commissioned an independent legal review of the
intellectual property issues surrounding earlier releases of PGP and PGP
keyservers. This   review determined  that PGP  2.3  infringes  a patent
licensed by MIT to RSADSI, and that keyservers that primarily accept 2.3
keys  are mostly  likely   contributing to this  infringement.  For that
reason,  MIT encourages all non-commercial  users in the U.S. to upgrade
to PGP 2.6,  and all keyserver operators  to no longer accept keys  that
are identified as being produced by PGP 2.3.

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: 2.5

iQBVAgUBLdezEVUFZvpNDE7hAQGRhAH+KACuaOfMynsL9QGmJpp9ToWEJB+1OFGb
whoZbHbw/H268zIrFoCcm24UITcBiIcuSsk3ydpMyFTb/YBgIbzgqQ==
=EbV1
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

> If patches are going to be produced for PGP 2.3a for those of us
> outside the USA who wish to send PGP encrypted data to USA users of
> v2.6, will the patches also enable a key from a patched 2.3a to be put
> onto a USA key-server that only accepts v2.6 keys - will the keys be
> labelled as v2.6?

I posted a patch to cypherpunks yesterday that does that.

> I take it Pr0duct Cypher's patch doesn't include this?

I don't think it does.

> Maybe instead of many people producing different patches (some        
> of which will be good and some bad) a new version (labelled as        
> v2.6euro?) should be released from outside the USA that is derived    
> from 2.3a code; therefore producing a version that is no different in 
> _appearance_ to MIT's v2.6.                                           

mathew@mantis.co.uk is working my patch plus some other stuff into
a brand new version to be called 2.6ui (where the "ui" stands for
"unofficial international").  It will be packaged as a complete release,
with .tar files and .zip files and .sig files etc.  The raw patch file
will also be there.

--apb (Alan Barrett)