Re: pgg-encrypt is a pain in the neck

[Sascha Wilde <wilde@sha-bang.de>]

Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> wrote:

>     PGG is rather "low level" in context of mail encryption, but please
>     bear in mind, that there are other uses for GnuPG: You can encrypt
>     other private or confidential stuff just to keep it safe without
>     sending it per mail, and that's where the currently available user
>     functions come in handy.
>
>     I agree, that a more generic solution might be worthwhile, but I don't
>     think that pgg is "broke" or needs to be "fixed" in this regard.
>
> There seems to be a disagreement about this.  Daiki Ueno told me that
> PGG could do what Mailcrypt does; I found it cannot, and you say it
> isn't supposed to.

I can't speak for Daiki, but as I see it PGG on its own can't but
together with message mode it can, so this might be what he meant.

> Your viewpoint seems to be that PGG is actually meant only for use
> from other Lisp programs.

Not only from other Lisp programs, but mainly, yes.

> If so, I don't think it really needs to be documented on its own.

I don't think that documentation for library stuff is bad, and PGG is
not the only case: we have manuals for eg. Emacs MIME, URL, SMTP and
Widget, too.  And PGG _has_ interactive user functions which should be
documented. 

> If PGG is currently only useful via Gnus, then I think the
> documentation of gpg-agent is only needed in the Gnus manual, since
> it is only relevant for Gnus.

I don't think so.

1. As pointed out in my last mail: if you want to encrypt stuff
   independently from mail PGG _is_ useful on its own.

2. Mail encryption with PGG works in message mode, which can be used
   independently from Gnus and has it's own manual, too.

The message mode manual already refers to the PGG manual, so I don't
think any addition is needed.  But if you think we should urge the
users more explicit to use gpg-agent, then the message mode manual
would be the right place, IMHO.

> Could someone please install the text
> that Daiki Ueno wrote into the Gnus manual?

Please don't.  See above, why not.

> Meanwhile, it is unfortunate that Emacs has most of what is needed to
> do the job of Mailcrypt but fails to actually deliver that
> functionality to the user.  I hope people will implement this, soon
> after the release.

I agree, and as Daiki wrote it shouldn't be to hard to do.

On the other hand: maybe we should aim for merging mail mode and
message mode in long terms?

cheers
sascha
-- 
Sascha Wilde

"Unix was the first OS where you could carry the media and system
documentation around in a briefcase. This was fixed in BSD4.2."