[liberationtech] Here Come the Encryption Apps

[hwamyeon]

On 03/10/13 06:41, Nathan of Guardian wrote:
> I love GnuPG, but it is about as far from the state of the art in
> usable, modern open-source security software, as you can get. It is a
> low blow to point to that as a representation of "well you can go
> open-source <snicker, snicker>, or you can use this amazing, shiny
> polished product over here!".
>
That's not the sense I got. He's talking about the point of view of end
users. And specifically business executives. I know the executives that
I work with actively view open-source as a detriment. "Sure it's free,"
they say "but can I get a support contract where when something breaks
at 2am and we need it fixed *immediately* or we otherwise have an urgent
support matter, we can call them down to resolve the issue?" That there
are organizations and individuals who provide professional support on
these products is no comfort to them. They want a monolithic entity to
deal with. Which is why he discusses this in the context of Silent
Circle, which is playing to this corporate mindset.