GPG 1.4.9 v. GPG 2.x questions

[wanna_use_pgp_again]

Okay, I've installed GPG 1.4.9 and Enigmail version 0.96.0 on my Vista
system. I'm already running Thunderbird.

The installation went fine and I can sign E-mail; I haven't tried to
encrypt or decrypt any E-mail yet.

But I have a couple of questions:

Enigmail's docs seem to say that I have to use GPG 1.4.9, but the
GnuPGP site says that the latest version is GnuPG 2.0.13. Can I just
upgrade the newly installed GPG 1.4.9 or will Enigmail choke on that?
Am I locked into GPG 1.4.9 unless and until Enigmail decides they'll
support a more recent version?

With the old PGP 6.5.8 I used to be able to encrypt text in a window,
and do all sorts of things. I guess I need a front end gui in order to
get things done easily with GPG. If I'm locked into GPG 1.4.9 by
Enigmail are there still front end guis for that version? Am I missing
something important if I stick to the older version? Is it possible to
install GnuPG 2.0.13 on my system and have it live peaceably side by
side with the older version and use the older version for E-mail and
the newer version for everything else?

Thanks for any help.

[John Wunderlich]

Post by wanna_use_pgp_again
Okay, I've installed GPG 1.4.9 and Enigmail version 0.96.0 on my
Vista system. I'm already running Thunderbird.
The installation went fine and I can sign E-mail; I haven't tried
to encrypt or decrypt any E-mail yet.
Enigmail's docs seem to say that I have to use GPG 1.4.9, but the
GnuPGP site says that the latest version is GnuPG 2.0.13. Can I
just upgrade the newly installed GPG 1.4.9 or will Enigmail choke
on that? Am I locked into GPG 1.4.9 unless and until Enigmail
decides they'll support a more recent version?
With the old PGP 6.5.8 I used to be able to encrypt text in a
window, and do all sorts of things. I guess I need a front end gui
in order to get things done easily with GPG. If I'm locked into
GPG 1.4.9 by Enigmail are there still front end guis for that
version? Am I missing something important if I stick to the older
version? Is it possible to install GnuPG 2.0.13 on my system and
have it live peaceably side by side with the older version and use
the older version for E-mail and the newer version for everything
else?
Thanks for any help.

GPG 1.4.x is not necessarily "older" than the 2.0.x version. In fact,
GPG 1.4.10 and 2.0.13 were both released the first week of September.
The 1.4.x version is the "production" version of the product. It
concentrates on basic functionality and stability. The 2.0.x series
adds more functionality with the caveat that it may be less stable.
I've been happy with the 1.4.x series for years.

There are several front-ends for GPG. My favorite is GPGShell:
<http://www.jumaros.de/rsoft/index.html>
I've also used WinPT. Others are available. Both will give you
"Current Window" and "Clipboard" functions.

HTH,
John

[wanna_use_pgp_again]

On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:54:21 GMT, John Wunderlich

Post by John Wunderlich

Post by wanna_use_pgp_again
Okay, I've installed GPG 1.4.9 and Enigmail version 0.96.0 on my
Vista system. I'm already running Thunderbird.
The installation went fine and I can sign E-mail; I haven't tried
to encrypt or decrypt any E-mail yet.
Enigmail's docs seem to say that I have to use GPG 1.4.9, but the
GnuPGP site says that the latest version is GnuPG 2.0.13. Can I
just upgrade the newly installed GPG 1.4.9 or will Enigmail choke
on that? Am I locked into GPG 1.4.9 unless and until Enigmail
decides they'll support a more recent version?
With the old PGP 6.5.8 I used to be able to encrypt text in a
window, and do all sorts of things. I guess I need a front end gui
in order to get things done easily with GPG. If I'm locked into
GPG 1.4.9 by Enigmail are there still front end guis for that
version? Am I missing something important if I stick to the older
version? Is it possible to install GnuPG 2.0.13 on my system and
have it live peaceably side by side with the older version and use
the older version for E-mail and the newer version for everything
else?
Thanks for any help.

GPG 1.4.x is not necessarily "older" than the 2.0.x version. In fact,
GPG 1.4.10 and 2.0.13 were both released the first week of September.
The 1.4.x version is the "production" version of the product. It
concentrates on basic functionality and stability. The 2.0.x series
adds more functionality with the caveat that it may be less stable.
I've been happy with the 1.4.x series for years.
<http://www.jumaros.de/rsoft/index.html>
I've also used WinPT. Others are available. Both will give you
"Current Window" and "Clipboard" functions.
HTH,

Indeed it does help. Thanks.

So should I update the GPG 1.4.9 I have now to the 1.4.10 version? Do
I just do a new install or is there an updating utility for GPG?

[John Wunderlich]

Post by wanna_use_pgp_again
So should I update the GPG 1.4.9 I have now to the 1.4.10 version?
Do I just do a new install or is there an updating utility for
GPG?

Yes. I'd recommend updating.

You can just install it over your present version.

The changes from 1.4.9 to 1.4.10 are advertised as follows:

Noteworthy changes in version 1.4.10 (2009-09-02)
-------------------------------------------------

* 2048 bit RSA keys are now generated by default. The default
hash algorithm preferences has changed to prefer SHA-256 over
SHA-1. 2048 bit DSA keys are now generated to use a 256 bit
hash algorithm

* Support v2 OpenPGP cards.

* The algorithm to compute the SIG_ID status has been changed to
match the one from 2.0.10.

* Improved file locking. Implemented it for W32.

* Fixed a memory leak which made imports of many keys very slow.

* Many smaller bug fixes.

* Support for the Camellia cipher (RFC-5581).

* Support for HKP keyservers over SSL ("HKPS").

HTH,
John

[wanna_use_pgp_again]

On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:24:13 -0700, John Wunderlich

Post by John Wunderlich

Post by wanna_use_pgp_again
So should I update the GPG 1.4.9 I have now to the 1.4.10 version?
Do I just do a new install or is there an updating utility for
GPG?

Yes. I'd recommend updating.
You can just install it over your present version.
....

Thanks. I've upgraded to 1.4.10b now. It all seems to be working all
right.

[Bob Henson]

Post by wanna_use_pgp_again
Okay, I've installed GPG 1.4.9 and Enigmail version 0.96.0 on my Vista
system. I'm already running Thunderbird.
The installation went fine and I can sign E-mail; I haven't tried to
encrypt or decrypt any E-mail yet.
Enigmail's docs seem to say that I have to use GPG 1.4.9, but the
GnuPGP site says that the latest version is GnuPG 2.0.13. Can I just
upgrade the newly installed GPG 1.4.9 or will Enigmail choke on that?
Am I locked into GPG 1.4.9 unless and until Enigmail decides they'll
support a more recent version?
With the old PGP 6.5.8 I used to be able to encrypt text in a window,
and do all sorts of things. I guess I need a front end gui in order to
get things done easily with GPG. If I'm locked into GPG 1.4.9 by
Enigmail are there still front end guis for that version? Am I missing
something important if I stick to the older version? Is it possible to
install GnuPG 2.0.13 on my system and have it live peaceably side by
side with the older version and use the older version for E-mail and
the newer version for everything else?
Thanks for any help.

You don't need any GUIs with GnuPG/Enigmail in Thunderbird. It does
everything automatically without having to resort to any other programs
- - in fact, it is *far* better than any other combination. You don't need
GnuPG 2.x installed - it can be run simultaneously, but it may (probably
will) introduce problems.

If you want to sign/encrypt free-standing files you may want to install
WinPT just for that (it's other functions are all available in what you
already have). WinPT is the only one that I've got to run successfully
under Vista. I actually use GPGee for file signing/encryption (it
installs as an Explorer extension) - but the home website seems to have
disappeared.

Regards,

Bob

- --
Remove "x" from address to e-mail

[wanna_use_pgp_again]

Post by Bob Henson
....
You don't need any GUIs with GnuPG/Enigmail in Thunderbird. It does
everything automatically without having to resort to any other programs
- - in fact, it is *far* better than any other combination. You don't need
GnuPG 2.x installed - it can be run simultaneously, but it may (probably
will) introduce problems.

Yes, I know. Enigmail seems to be working well, but it's for E-mail
only, AFAICT.

Post by Bob Henson
If you want to sign/encrypt free-standing files you may want to install
WinPT just for that (it's other functions are all available in what you
already have). WinPT is the only one that I've got to run successfully
under Vista. ....

Yes, I tried both GPGShell and WinPT last night. GPGShell wants me to
use a commend prompt for putting in my passphrase, so I seem to have
settled on WinPT. I want to be able to sign and encrypt various things
outside of E-mail.

WinPT apparently can't see the text in Agent, so I'd have to copy it
to the clipboard and sign it or whatever. But I seem to be getting
back most of the capabilities I'd had using PGP 6.5.8 under Win98SE.
Oh, ain't progress grand?

[Bob Henson]

Post by wanna_use_pgp_again

Post by Bob Henson
....
You don't need any GUIs with GnuPG/Enigmail in Thunderbird. It does
everything automatically without having to resort to any other programs
- - in fact, it is *far* better than any other combination. You don't need
GnuPG 2.x installed - it can be run simultaneously, but it may (probably
will) introduce problems.

Yes, I know. Enigmail seems to be working well, but it's for E-mail
only, AFAICT.

Post by Bob Henson
If you want to sign/encrypt free-standing files you may want to install
WinPT just for that (it's other functions are all available in what you
already have). WinPT is the only one that I've got to run successfully
under Vista. ....

Yes, I tried both GPGShell and WinPT last night. GPGShell wants me to
use a commend prompt for putting in my passphrase, so I seem to have
settled on WinPT. I want to be able to sign and encrypt various things
outside of E-mail.
WinPT apparently can't see the text in Agent, so I'd have to copy it
to the clipboard and sign it or whatever. But I seem to be getting
back most of the capabilities I'd had using PGP 6.5.8 under Win98SE.
Oh, ain't progress grand?

I didn't look at your headers, so I didn't see you were using Agent. As
I recall Agent was excellent for newsgroups when I used to use it, so
suggesting to you that you should use Thunderbird for news too may not
be acceptable - but it works just fine here, and you can, of course, use
GnuPG/Enigmail. I even use it for my RSS feeds too. I think (it was some
years back) that I finally gave up Agent because it was nearly
impossible to use PGP easily with it, and eventually PGP 9.x (which
would have solved most of the problems) was outrageously expensive.

"Progress" is certainly a double edged sword! One definition of progress
that I saw was "The addition of features which you had no idea you
needed". They should have added "and the removal of most of the ones you
did!". I've just returned to Thunderbird after a couple of weeks trying
to get Outlook to do everything Thunderbird can - it can do it, and more
too (it has many of the features missing from and/or broken in
Thunderbird) but totally failed to get OpenPGP to work. GPG4win is
nowhere near ready for use yet, (certainly not under Vista) and made the
most dreadful mess of my system.

Regards,

Bob

[Bob Henson]

Post by wanna_use_pgp_again
Okay, I've installed GPG 1.4.9 and Enigmail version 0.96.0 on my Vista
system. I'm already running Thunderbird.

Should you want it, I found GPGee at :-

http://tinyurl.com/o9udud

The beta version is the one I use, it's quite stable.


Regards,

Bob