[ubuntu-uk] Problem installing v8.04 from an imperfect 6.06 setup. Help required

[Louis Gidney]

Hi Neil,

Thank you for your email, in which you explain gpg.
Aha!  Yes, sounds good to me,

A couple of questions:-
Is it in operation all the time -for example if I make a purchase
online by credit card -or only for detecting authenticity of
downloaded Ubuntu upgrades?  Do I need to "switch it on" in
some way; for example if I make a purchase on Amazon's website;
ie: is it compatible with Amazon and similar vendors ?
Also, how do I know when it is "on" ?

Another off-topic point: I've heard people say Linux is
intrinsically more secure from viruses, etc, than Windoze.
Can this be true?

regards,
Lou

[an earlier copy of this bounced because I sent from another address]


Neil Greenwood wrote:
> 2008/11/16 Louis Gidney <LouGid39 at cromer.demon.co.uk>:
>   
>> [snip]
>>
>>     
>>> The pgp is Pretty Good Privacy, it's a way of
>>> encrypting stuff,
>>>       
>> I don't need to encrypt anything because there is
>> nothing confidential on my computer, and I am the
>> only user.  If it's causing trouble, is it possible
>> to remove it?
>>
>>     
>
> Hi Lou,
>
> (this is off-topic and won't actually help solve your installation problem.)
>
> It's actually gpg (GNU Privacy Guard), which is an open, free
> implementation of PGP.
>
> You do need it, since it's also used to check that the files you
> download from the internet are genuine, and haven't been hacked to
> include a nasty trojan that will send your credit card details to
> China. With the system of worldwide mirrors used to ease congestion
> and speed up downloads, this becomes especially important.
>
> gpg and pgp can do two things:
> 1. stop others reading something you intend for a single recipient,
> 2. let anyone know that something you have written has not been changed.
>
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Cofion,
> Neil.
>
>