[dllthomas]

It seems like teaching people to use GPG for the authentication is probably the first step. Sending to someone who doesn't use GPG then is still readable, and if you want to push the point with a particular person then every time they email you call them and say "I got an email, I wanted to be sure it was from you, since there was no signature..."

Once you can count on contacts using GPG, the path to encrypting is much easier.

[atmosx]

IMHO the problem is the NOT infrastructure per se, it's the theoretical part that is cumbersome. If you now why you are doing something, it's easy to understand why you should not save the 'key' in the "Keychain" or sign random emails.

To use GnuPG correctly you need explain to average Joe concepts like:

    * PKI
    * Key signing
    * Web of trust
    * Revocation key

The problem is that, as Einstein said: Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simple.

Same problem I can't talk bitcoin with most of my real-life friends. They are incredibly smart people, but they are not familiar with key concepts about BTC and don't wanna wrap their minds around it when we're hanging out having fun.

[borplk]

I see what you're saying I think the same argument is being overly used to justify a lack of basic effort to learn anything about computing beyond 'click this shiny red button'.

People just cry out to the programmers to "just make it easier".

Well there's only so far you can go on the easy scale until you start sacrificing security and integrity.

People need to learn some of the fundamentals and basics you can't run away from it forever.

It's like someone saying "Mehh I don't like calculus ... why don't these mathematicians make it just easier? Why do I have to learn about differentiation? Make it so easy my grandma could differentiate this equation"

Instead we force every kid to take the pain a bit and learn some damn basics.

Same should go for computing. Schools could teach the kids the basics of protecting their communications on the internet. Give that 10 years and Public/Private key encryption is a piece of cake for every reasonably educated adult in the society and they are no longer buzzwords because everyone grew up with it and remembers their 8th grade when they learned all about it.

[Tomte]

> It's like someone saying "Mehh I don't like calculus ... why don't these mathematicians make it just easier?

Actually, modern textbooks do exactly that: they try to find pedagogically better ways to teach this stuff.

And sometimes newer developments really simplify things.

All that apart from the simple fact that mathematics and the user interface and user interaction are not even in the same ballpark.

Your comment seems a bit lazy to me. Just not in a way you expected to.

[amirmc]

I'd argue that getting address books to understand what keys are and how to use them would be more impactful. If I put public keys in my address book, which is nicely integrated with my mail client anyway, then sending encrypted mail should be far more straightforward. The problem then is getting people to use new address books.

[XorNot]

Making the Thunderbird address book not suck would be a good firsr step in this regard.