Re: PGP and offline-readers

[J. Michael Diehl <mdiehl@triton.unm.edu>]

> I am getting involved in networking some local BBS' and message bases.
> One of the primary functions of this network will be to serve as a 
> library for PGP keys and to use PGP in sending messages. 
>   
> Now, if people read their messages offline, is there any offline
> readers that exist that integrate PGP (all this is IBM based) or

I'm working on one myself.  I'm testing it now; its still kinda alpha at the
moment.

> is there an easy way to do this. Ideally, I want to avoid having to
> decrypt each message individually and would like PGP interfaced so 
> that it could recognize a message header, apply th eright key, and
> output in the reader. I am probablky asking for too much.

Not at all.  My system is currently geared toward UNIX, but can be modified
to work with anything. ;^)  Right now, I have to select the mail by hand, but
the software xfers it and indexes it automaticly.  Then I can select read and
I get a menu of my messages to be read....index, sender, and subject.  I have
delete working.  Also, I have send working quite well.  You select Create to
create a message.  You then have a choice of editor.  After you create a file,
you have the option of calling the encryption menu to encrypt/sign it.  Then
you select send.  You give the program the name of the file, who it goes to, and
a subject.  I have a script which dials the system, and uploads the mail  with-
out me being there.

The benefits are that the plaintext never spends time on the mainframe, and you
control the keys.

I have a few features to add.  I want to add multiple-hosts capability, aliases,
and automatic encryption. 

I'm writing this sytem in 4dos batch language and telix communication scripts.
I'm doing it this way because it's a great developement language with lots of
high-lever tools.  I'm quite prowd of how it's working.  I'm also thinking of
porting it to C.

> Does anyone have any experience/advice w/ this tpye of large scale
> implementation of PGP? I know the need to encrypt most of the messages
> will be small, but I think it is important to get these people so
> familar w/ encryption, they won't be scared and will defend it when
> the need arises.

I agree totally!  This is important.
+-----------------------+-----------------------------+---------+
| J. Michael Diehl ;-)  | I thought I was wrong once. | PGP KEY |
|                       |    But, I was mistaken.     |available|
|                       +-----------------------------+---------+
| mdiehl@triton.unm.edu | "I'm just looking for the opportunity |
| mike.diehl@fido.org   | to be Politically Incorrect!   <Me>   |
| (505) 299-2282        |                                       |
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