Steve
As an internet service provider we see all kinds of local e-mail
software running on people's networks - some have Novell mail systems,
some have Mac mail systems, some have Unix and part-time network
connections which means that UUCP is the best case, others have full
blown internet links for which SMTP is the ideal setup.
Most organizations do get a proper domain name (because it looks good
to have a real internet mailbox on a business card). But we don't
discriminate against those who use UUCP or even (gasp) zmodem to pick
up their mailboxes.
The lack of explicit means of expressing certification policies,
the lack of rigorous name space management, and the lack of a
certificate revocation architecture probably will hinder use of PGP in
the commercial environment. The Arpanet (really Internet today)/UUCP
analogy may be a reasonable one. Most commercial organizations I am
aware of are joining the Internet, with its global, unique address space
(which is managed by a central authority with regional delegation) and
with its global, unique domain name space (also reflecting a single root
with distributed, delegated management). I'm quite happy with that
analogy!
The "global, unique domain name space" has its limits. If you will
note that there is exactly one organization holding the responsibility
for the ".com" domain (and in general also one gatekeeper for network
address assignments and routing information). Should that one
organization get overly busy, your particular registry request might
take longer than you're willing to deal with.
The biggest hindrance to PGP in a commercial environment is not the
absence of a key system; its the fact that anyone who would want to
deploy it right now would have to deal with the understanding that
should they want to use it commercially they would have to have
licenses for the patents involved (or to be prepared to litigate the
validity of same). This is solely a money question, not a technology
question. Once (e.g.) ViaCrypt has a licensable Unix PGP
implementation fielded, I should expect that there will be widespread
use of PGP in the commercial Internet.
Edward Vielmetti, vice president for research, Msen Inc.
emv(_at_)Msen(_dot_)com
Msen Inc., 320 Miller, Ann Arbor MI 48103 +1 313 998 4562 (fax: 998 4563)