[parisc-linux] Re: List of packages for hppa ISO release vers ion 2

Matthieu Delahaye delahaym@esiee.fr
Thu, 31 May 2001 12:47:26 +0200


Bdale Garbee wrote:
> France reportedly has some of the most evil crypto laws on the planet.  It
> would not be a good country to host in.

You're right. To give an overview:
France signed Wassenaar accords. As an implementation of it,
France began to completely forgive using of cryptographics tools
in 1995. Then, in 1999, using  of cryptographic tools were completely
allowed to use as an authentification means. But if you want to use them
in order to keep confidential your documents/sessions, it become quite
complicated... France makes distinction between importing, exporting,
using and giving a such tool. More over law change if you use it for
private
use or for your work. So, nobody knows really what we can really can do
with
these tools but lawyers, but I haven't one.
The current debate in France is that now french government want to
certificate 
tools release by release. If it could be a great issue for commercial
software,
it is not for free software, which version numbers are changing almost
every time. 

I just give here an overview. It's more complicated than it, but it's
the essential.
If someone think US law is too restrictive, just have a look on french
law ;-)
-- 
Matthieu Delahaye
ESIEE Team
http://mkhppa1.esiee.fr/