From: danny@cs.su.oz.au (Danny Yee)
Date: Wed, 01 Feb 1995 21:11:51 +1000
Subject: Book Review - PGP: Pretty Good Privacy

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     title: PGP: Pretty Good Privacy
        by: Simson Garfinkel
 publisher: O'Reilly & Associates 1995
  subjects: computing
     other: 393 pages, glossary, index, US$24.95
   summary: encryption for everyone

_PGP: Pretty Good Privacy_ aims to make cryptography -- in the form of
PGP -- accessible by everyone.  Since doing encryption properly requires
some understanding of the basic concepts involved, it begins with a
general introduction to cryptography.  Here Garfinkel's exposition is as
good as any I have seen: it is clearly laid out and well illustrated,
and doesn't assume any mathematical competence.  The history of
public-key cryptography and the associated battles over patents and
royalties is also covered.  The actual guide to using PGP errs (if at
all) on the side of thoroughness, describing in detail, with examples,
how to generate, manage, use, and register PGP keys.  The appendices
explain where to find and install the different versions of PGP
(DOS/Unix/Macintosh), and go into the mathematics in a little more
detail.  Readers who already understand public-key cryptography and are
accustomed to using on-line documentation will probably find much of
this unnecessary or overly verbose; it is certainly not aimed at
hackers.  Given a copy of _PGP: Pretty Good Privacy_, however, I think
almost anyone should be able to use cryptography, and this is a better
measure of its success.

- --

Disclaimer: I requested and received a review copy of _PGP: Pretty Good
Privacy_ from O'Reilly & Associates, but I have no stake, financial or
otherwise, in its success.

- --

%T	PGP: Pretty Good Privacy
%A	Simson Garfinkel
%I	O'Reilly & Associates
%C	Sebastapol, California
%D	1995
%O	paperback, glossary, index
%G	ISBN 1-56592-098-8
%P	393pp
%K	computing

Danny Yee (danny@cs.su.oz.au)
26 January 1995


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