ietf-openpgp
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Re: [urgent] PGP/MIME IANA considerations: file extensions, Macintosh file type codes.

2001-07-17 13:10:28

The "pgDS" file type is a Detached Signature. The correct file extension
for a detached signature is ".sig". These are ASCII files. They do *not*
use the ".asc" extension.

The "pgPR" file type is a Public Keyring file. The correct file extension
for a Public Keyring file is ".pkr". These are always binary files.

".asc" files sometimes contain keys, and sometimes contain encrypted
and/or signed data -- always in ASCII format. These files have no special
Macintosh file type. The file type for these is the standard "TEXT".

The "pgRR" file type is a Secret Keyring file. The correct file extension
for a Secret Keyring file is ".skr". These are always binary files.

The "pgEF" file type is a PGP encrypted and/or signed file. The correct
file extension for such a file is ".pgp". These are usually binary files,
but not always.



Florian Weimer wrote:

Excerpt from the current OpenPGP/MIME draft:

| 9.2.  Registration of the application/pgp-signature media type

|    Encoding considerations:
|
|       The content of this media type always consists of 7bit text.

|    Additional information:
|
|       Magic number(s): none
|       File extension(s): asc
|       Macintosh File Type Code(s): pgDS

| 9.3.  Registration of the application/pgp-keys media type

|    Encoding considerations:
|
|       The content of this media type always consists of 7bit text.

|    Additional information:
|
|       Magic number(s): none
|       File extension(s): asc
|       Macintosh File Type Code(s): pgPR

Doesn't Macintosh PGP (and perhaps other programs as well) store
binary data in pgDS/pgPR files as well?  That's why I don't think the
MIME types and Macintosh file types are equivalent.


-- 

Will Price, Director of Engineering
PGP Security, Inc.
a division of Network Associates, Inc.