[OSX-Users] Re: signed secure email?

[Mischa Tuffield]

Hello, 

<snip/>
> 
> 
>> - i ask the list as that may be something of more general interest - you're the only person i've seen with this. 
>> what's the advantages?

You can also signed emails using GPGMail[1]. I used to use it on the older operating systems, but Mail 5.0 was such a big change, that the plugin has had to be completely re-written. 

I have had a play with the alpha release but it is slightly too buggy for day to day use, but I can't wait until it gets finished off. It allows you to sign your emails using your PGP key, and allows people to validate that it was actually you sending a given mail. Another benefit is that is allows you to encrypt emails to people whose public PGP keys are in your keychain. I have the public key component of my PGP key on my website (and linked to from my foaf profile:), the key can also be found from mit's keyserver. 

This allows me the option to send signed emails, and to send encrypted emails without the need for using a third-party key issuing entity. 

Mischa

[1] http://www.gpgtools.org/gpgmail/

> 
> I started to use that when I acted in an official function. It may be useful then to 
> be able to see that an email is actually from you (well, from your email address:
> I could use "mc schraefel <vs at ecs.soton.ac.uk>" and the certificate would still be
> good) and has not be tampered with. 
> 
>> also on lion - so sorry it's slow for you - that's one thing i haven't noticed at all on new hardware, but on even a last years mac mini it does seem a wee bit pokey
> 
> My hardware is relatively new a macbook pro about one year old. It cannot be that.