3000 runs PGP, but has no legal encryption solution

3000 runs PGP,
but has no legal
encryption solution

HP 3000 Internet expert Chris Bartram of 3k Associates reports that the Pretty Good Privacy software PGP runs on HP 3000s, but no commercially sound encryption solution exists for MPE/iX systems.

“PGP version 2.62 will run on MPE, but it’s not legal for non-personal use,” Bartram said (You’re not allowed to use it for anything associated with business). “It uses patented technology from RSA, which they will not license to anyone to use for other than the freeware/non-business use that PGP 2.62 specifies. It also includes patented technology from other vendors as well, so using it for non-personal use would require licenses from several entities – at least one of which, RSA, won’t do it at all.”

Bartram notes there are currently no commercial PGP- or RSA-compatible encryption packages for the HP 3000. “Neither PGP Inc. (now Network Associates) or RSA have announced any plans to support the HP 3000 platform,” he said. “They have answered negatively to requests that they do so unless someone volunteers to pay them to port their software – a proposition with a price tag starting at $25,000.”