Purchasing OpenPGP cards, card-readers to support GnuPG

[NIIBE Yutaka]

On 02/12/2015 12:35 AM, taltman wrote:
> Is there any way to purchase these items where a portion of the proceeds
> goes to supporting GnuPG?

Indirectly, I'd say.

I think that if you stay in Europe, being a FSFE member, you'll get
its member card with OpenPGPcard feature.  I'm sure that it will
improve the eco system around GnuPG, although it's not directly
supporting GnuPG development.  Besides, it gives her good opportunity
to consider the importance and difficulty of controling her own
computing, by a concrete example of card reader implementation and
card implementation.

Buying OpenPGPcard implementations (instead of other card
implementations of PKCS) also benefits GnuPG development indirectly.
Because OpenPGPcard specification is published, and its functionality
is clear enough.  Well, PKCS is published, YES... but supporting cards
other than OpenPGPcard specification is very difficult for free
software project, in general, because the standard practice assumes
non-free environment and the industry tends to be unfriendly to free
software.

Buying original OpenPGPcard implementation would be better, so that we
can support publishing OpenPGPcard specification as free
specification.

Perhaps, you'd like more free implementation of OpenPGPcard, but
(partially) non-free implementation also works.

In the current situation, I never accuse users/developers of non-free
OpenPGPcard implementation.  It's not ideal, but it would be an
important step towards better control of our own computing.

Difficulty is... for card readers.  I only know one free (as in
freedom) implementation which connects physical card, that's
CryptoStick (now, new project name, Nitrokey), which combines
physical OpenPGPcard into a token.

Lastly and unlikely, if you stay in Japan, being a FSIJ member, you'll
automatically get the pressure of buying FST-01 as Gnuk Token (or NeuG
standalone). :-) I'm selling FST-01 so that I could have more time for
GnuPG development, and I'd like to invite more developers into this
area, while I'd like to encourage Chinese Industry for free (as in
freedom) hardware design.
-- 

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