7.3.2. “What’s the fascination in Cypherpunks with PGP?”
- Ironically, our first meeting, in September 1992, coincided within a few days of the release of PGP 2.0. Arthur Abraham provided diskettes of 2.0, complete with laser-printed labels. Version 2.0 was the first truly useful version of PGP (so I hear…I never tried Version 1.0, which had limited distribution). So PGP and Cypherpunks shared a history—and Phil Zimmermann has been to some physical meetings.
- A practical, usable, understandable tool. Fairly easy to use. In contrast, many other developments are more abstract and do not lend themselves to use by hobbyists and amateurs. This alone ensures PGP an honored place (and might be an object lesson for developers of other tools).
