[Winpt-users] Consolidation, Differences, Overlap in Features, ETC......

[Jan-Oliver Wagner]

Hello Alan,

although Timo answered most of the questions, I'd like to add
some more info about ideas behind gpg4win.
Hope it is helpful to understand the gpg4win projects' intention.

BTW: The new website is there, see www.gpg4win.org ;-)
 
On Sunday 05 February 2006 04:22, Alan Jones wrote:
> I see there is a new installer coming out called gpg4win 
> http://www.gpg4win.org/ that is in development that has the above 
> packages and others.  I am not clear what the current status of it is... 
> Is it stable, usable, creating appropriate icons and system entries?

gpg4win installer is close to 1.0 stable release, but next 0.7.0
will come with one of the last missing modules (a second german
handbook).
If EudoraGPG related license question get positively answered
within this month, 0.8.0 will contain EudoraGPG. If not, 1.0 will
come a bit earlier and not contain EudoraGPG.

I'd say its stable and usable enough to give it a try ;-)
Just wait for the next announcement where the upcoming WinPT
release will be included. 
 
> I don't know much about the gpg4win project, but I hope the installer 
> gives a good brief description of each program  and allows the user to 
> chose if they want to install all or a subset of the programs.

The installer allows to select the modules you want to install.
Brief descriptions are given.
 
> There seems to be a fair amount of overlap in features between all the 
> programs part of the gpg4win project.  Can anyone delve into the details 
> of what and why certain programs made it into the project and 
> differences/uses?

Yes, there is overlap of functionality between WinPT and GPA and
between WinPT and GPGee.
gpg4win includes all sensible tools around GPG. The user has
the choice (and yes, the burden of choice :-).
Especially GPA was traditionally in there (see the old GnuPP installer)
and the german handbooks refer to it. 
 
> The old installer that some used had GPGRelay, but I did not see that 
> included. Why is that?

Simply lack of time. We had to draw a line for gpg4win 1.0 corresponding
to the budget we have for this.
It is surely a good idea to add GPGRelay to gpg4win later on.
Or perhaps someone here volunteers to add it right away? ;-) 

> What I would love to see is the universal installer that sounds like it 
> is in development with a universal Keymanager etc.  Several of these 
> GnuPG shells have their own Keymanager when it seems like it would be 
> benifical to the user and devlopers if the same Key Manager (and other 
> common areas) use the same code.  So that WinPT, GPGol, GPA, GPGee, etc 
> all used the same common code and interface.

Well, these products share at least the Crypto-Codebase.
In fact, in the frame of gpg4win project, WinPT was changed to
use GpgME, the standard API for GnuPG. Also GPA uses it.

So far, gpg4win simply ships 'all' the keymanagers and the user
may choose the one he/she already knows.
I guess it will be difficult to create the universal keymanager.
 
> I know it may be out of the scope for some but it might be nice if the 
> gpg4win installer also came with Enigmail http://enigmail.mozdev.org/ 
> the Thunderbird GNUpg interface.

Good idea. However, I did not evaluate Enigmail installer for Windows
yet. They are not available from the above site.
(I must confess, I am not a Thunderbird user, so my experience with
it and Enigmail is very low)
 
> Sorry for the long e-mail, just wanted to get all my questions in one 
> place instead of several small e-mails. 
> 
> What do others think of the consolidated Key Manager ideas?

It depends on the developers behind the various key managers.
If they like to coordinate, then you might get where you want.
My guess is that only a cross-platform approach could win the race.
 
Best

	Jan

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Jan-Oliver Wagner: www.intevation.de/~jan  | GISpatcher: www.gispatcher.de
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