securitybreach Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 The World’s Email Encryption Software Relies on One Guy, Who is Going Broke The man who built the free email encryption software used by whistleblower Edward Snowden, as well as hundreds of thousands of journalists, dissidents and security-minded people around the world, is running out of money to keep his project alive. Werner Koch wrote the software, known as Gnu Privacy Guard, in 1997, and since then has been almost single-handedly keeping it alive with patches and updates from his home in Erkrath, Germany. Now 53, he is running out of money and patience with being underfunded. "I'm too idealistic," he told me in an interview at a hacker convention in Germany in December. "In early 2013 I was really about to give it all up and take a straight job." But then the Snowden news broke, and "I realized this was not the time to cancel." Like many people who build security software, Koch believes that offering the underlying software code for free is the best way to demonstrate that there are no hidden backdoors in it giving access to spy agencies or others. However, this means that many important computer security tools are built and maintained by volunteers. Now, more than a year after Snowden's revelations, Koch is still struggling to raise enough money to pay himself and to fulfill his dream of hiring a full-time programmer. He says he's made about $25,000 per year since 2001 — a fraction of what he could earn in private industry. In December, he launched a fundraising campaign that has garnered about $43,000 to date — far short of his goal of $137,000 — which would allow him to pay himself a decent salary and hire a full-time developer......... http://www.propublic...-is-going-broke BTW I need some money too! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) One of the things to do on my list once I come into some money is to donate to the many, many people in the OpenSource world whose software I use and love. This fellow is on the list. P.S. I could live like a king on $25K/year right now. I've been living about $10K/year for the past 7 years. Not to worry, though, I have my kit all ready to go... Edited February 6, 2015 by V.T. Eric Layton 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 The World’s Email Encryption Software Relies on One Guy, Who is Going Broke The man who built the free email encryption software used by whistleblower Edward Snowden, as well as hundreds of thousands of journalists, dissidents and security-minded people around the world, is running out of money to keep his project alive. Werner Koch wrote the software, known as Gnu Privacy Guard, in 1997, and since then has been almost single-handedly keeping it alive with patches and updates from his home in Erkrath, Germany. Now 53, he is running out of money and patience with being underfunded. "I'm too idealistic," he told me in an interview at a hacker convention in Germany in December. "In early 2013 I was really about to give it all up and take a straight job." But then the Snowden news broke, and "I realized this was not the time to cancel." Like many people who build security software, Koch believes that offering the underlying software code for free is the best way to demonstrate that there are no hidden backdoors in it giving access to spy agencies or others. However, this means that many important computer security tools are built and maintained by volunteers. Now, more than a year after Snowden's revelations, Koch is still struggling to raise enough money to pay himself and to fulfill his dream of hiring a full-time programmer. He says he's made about $25,000 per year since 2001 — a fraction of what he could earn in private industry. In December, he launched a fundraising campaign that has garnered about $43,000 to date — far short of his goal of $137,000 — which would allow him to pay himself a decent salary and hire a full-time developer......... http://www.propublic...-is-going-broke BTW I need some money too! Don't we all LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted February 6, 2015 Author Share Posted February 6, 2015 This man makes a lot more than I do but the reason I posted this is because I did not realize that gpg was developed by one person. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted February 6, 2015 Author Share Posted February 6, 2015 Well darn, why can it not be that easy for me He received $60,000 from the Linux Foundation’s Core Infrastructure Initiative as a one time grant, user donations reaching $137,000 as of February 5th and will receive $50,000 from Facebook and $50,000 Stripe on an annual basis. The plight that Koch was facing with regards to finances almost saw him quitting the full time development of the software so that he could get a 'straight job'. http://www.linuxveda...nux-foundation/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 This man makes a lot more than I do but the reason I posted this is because I did not realize that gpg was developed by one person. Well $25,000 = £ 16,000ish which is not big potatoes. A toilet cleaner over here can earn that much. So in a communist society that would be just fine as folks get the same whatever they do, you work for eight hours or so at whatever you are good at and you all get the same rate of pay. Over here in our enlightened capitalist society, everyone seems to think that a few folk should do all the work whilst everyone else freeloads and complains that the workers are not doing enough. An all them companies that use GNUPG should be ashamed of themselves for not helping out.If those folk who used GNUPG gave one lousy dollar a year for the use of the program then the developer would probably be a multi millionaire if not a multi- billionaire. Makes you think don't it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Maybe I should move to the UK and get my sponges and Sno-Bowl ready. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted February 6, 2015 Author Share Posted February 6, 2015 Maybe I should move to the UK and get my sponges and Sno-Bowl ready. Sounds like a plan, pick me up on the way. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Josh and Eric's Toilet Cleaning Free Estimates! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 Josh and Eric's Toilet Cleaning Free Estimates! If it pays the bills, that is all that matters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Josh and Eric's Toilet Cleaning Free Estimates! Mind you do not get flushed with success. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 (edited) Note the ridiculous odds of this legal Ponzi scheme that our government entices us with in order to make billions and billions of dollars to line the bureaucrats' pockets. It should be illegal. It actually is illegal for you and me to run a lottery, but our gov can do it. Edited February 9, 2015 by V.T. Eric Layton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted February 9, 2015 Author Share Posted February 9, 2015 Well it is nice to not have to pay a state income tax because of the lottery.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrke Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Well it is nice to not have to pay a state income tax because of the lottery.... While it's not quite the same thing, I can remember bitterly how the state of NJ got approval for the lottery, promising that it would pay for education in NJ in perpetuity. Yeah, right. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted February 9, 2015 Author Share Posted February 9, 2015 Well it is nice to not have to pay a state income tax because of the lottery.... While it's not quite the same thing, I can remember bitterly how the state of NJ got approval for the lottery, promising that it would pay for education in NJ in perpetuity. Yeah, right. Well they claimed that the lottery and tourism was the reason for no State Income Tax. I did love not having to pay the state every year and getting a much larger return than I do now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Well it is nice to not have to pay a state income tax because of the lottery.... We've never had a state income tax in Florida, even before the lottery. Supposedly, Florida's lottery was voted into existence back in 1986 primarily to "enhance" education. Myuh-huh... schools get a pittance from the lottery. The rest goes to administration (read as the bureaucracy AKA the gov), never to be seen again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted February 9, 2015 Author Share Posted February 9, 2015 Yeah, you see those figures on the billboards: "X-number of billions goes to education..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrke Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 (edited) Supposedly, Florida's lottery was voted into existence back in 1986 primarily to "enhance" education. Ah, state government gave you the same bovine leavings they gave us. Edited February 10, 2015 by ebrke 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 It has ever been thus... and will continue to be so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 (edited) I had four winning lines out of seven on a £2 scratch card last week - net profit £18. luverly jubbly.So there is hope Eric. Edited February 10, 2015 by abarbarian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 There's always hope... until there is no more hope, then it'll be hopeless. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I walked in the woodland meadows, Where sweet the thrushes sing, And found on a bed of mosses, A bird with a broken wing; I healed its wing, and each morning It sang its old sweet strain, But the bird with the broken pinion, Never soared as high again, Never soared as high again. I found a young life broken By sin’s seductive art, And, touched with a Christlike pity, I took him to my heart; He lived with a nobler purpose, And struggled not in vain, But the life that sin had stricken, Never soared as high again, Never soared as high again. But the bird with the broken pinion Kept another from the snare, The life that sin had stricken, Raised another from despair; Each loss has its own compensation, There’s healing for each pain, But the bird with the broken pinion Never soared as high again, Never soared as high again. Some years ago, in The Youths Companion, appeared the first three verses of this song…They were afterwards found in the vest pocket of a man who died while in prison. http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/b/i/b/bibroken.htm Aye there is always hope. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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