Re: [Macgpg-users] trouble figuring out how to import a public key from windows to mac gnugpg

[Charly A. <sha...@ma...>]

tombb wrote the following on 4/14/07 12:22 AM:
> Very strange. All versions that I sent over to the Mac were not appropriately
> formatted-- was missing the heading and ender info; just gooptext-- no
> matter what format I saved it in.

Hi,

What you are describing suggests that the contents of that file were
binary output, not ASCII. But please wait for the feedback of experts.

> I then decided to open on winpc in Word
> and save as a Word file--to preserve the formatting as text instead of
> gooptext. I could open that Word doc on Mac without problem, so I copied
> this text and pasted it into a textwrangler document and saved it as unix
> coded document (thanks, Charlie!).  I could then import this into gpg
> keychain access without problem-- a bit of a clumsy struggle, I must say. I
> was expecting that by using Gnu PGP across platform would ensure easy
> compatibility when emailing keys, but apparently this is not the case.

Whatever happened, and why, I am happy you could import the key block.

> 
> 1. Do you guys also see this difficulty when working across platform, or do
> do you think I might have a setup issue?

Personally, the only difficulty I have experienced was when the file to
be imported had Macintosh line-endings. I had then to convert those
Macintosh line-endings to Unix.

I was wrong about DOS line-endings, they are OK for GnuPG to recognize
them. I apologize for having misled you.

I don't know if you have a setup issue, I hope you will get an expert
opinion about that issue.


> 
> 2. Also, even though I have the public key form my wife's windows based
> account and can decrypt messages, and the message shows that it is signed,
> but it also says "validity:unknown"-- I saw in the windows enigmail plugin
> inteerface how to set the trust level of others signatures, but how can I do
> this in the Mac environment, either through gpg keychain access or the sente
> Mail plugin interface?

'Validity: unknown' suggest that the key is not signed with a trusted
key, meaning your own default key. When you sign some one else's key,
you are setting how much you trust, or not, that particular some one to
be the true owner of that public key.

The following is excerpted from Enigmail's web page
<http://enigmail.mozdev.org/keyman.html>:
--------------
When you set the trust on a key, you are indicating to what extent you
trust the owner of that key to correctly validate the ownership of other
peoples keys. It may be that you trust the person to be very thorough in
their validation, in which case you trust them fully. Alternatively, you
believe that they are fairly lax in their validation techniques, so you
only trust them marginally.

The value of trust you apply to a key affects the web of trust as it
relates to your key and influences the implied trust that other peoples
keys that you have not validated might gain, based upon the value of the
trust from the person who's key you have set the trust value on.
----------------

You can sign your wife's key, using your own default key. GPG Keychain
Access will let you do it, if you don't know how to do it via Terminal.

When you sign a key, you can either signed it 'locally', meaning that
your signature is not exportable. Or you can sign it "normally", meaning
that your signature is exportable.

Since this is your wife's key, you might want to sign it "normally", and
then send the updated keyblock to your wife, so that your signature is
included in the key's file, within your wife's keyring.


> 
> Sorry for the length and for burying my 2 last questions, but you guys have
> been great in helping me sort this out. I look forward to any suggestions
> and comments you have for hte other 2 issues.
[...]

On the contrary, when you ask a question you should be as extensive as
required, this will enable other people in this list to understand your
problem, and try to help you, if they can or know how to.

Sorry again about my error with the DOS endings.

Have a fine week end.
Charly