[42] in Cypherpunks
Tough Choices: PGP vs. RSA Data Security
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Eric Hughes)
Fri Apr 30 02:40:42 1993
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 93 19:20:52 -0700
From: Eric Hughes <hughes@soda.berkeley.edu>
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
I have a few more words on this topic at this juncture.
Tim was calling for an examination of the issue; he was not, to my
reading, recommending one course of action or another. Possibly Tim's
pancritically rationalist sensibilities have offended some. To them I
say "Cypherpunk is not a religion." If you cannot question your own
beliefs, you are acting in a predominantly ideological mode. We need
no zealots here. Please, everyone, have a bit of calm purpose and
broad-mindedness.
Reference is not advocacy. One of the great and lasting advantages of
language over the visual is the ability to say "no," "might," "ought,"
"can," "may": the plethora of negations and conditions. This mailing
list is not a TV channel; do not treat it as one.
I specifically request those of you who engaged the keyboard without
understanding this basic point please to reread Tim's article and to
alter and/or to retract you hasty words as appropriate. I leave this
entirely as an exercise to the reader.
Eric
