PGP 2.6 is dangerous in the long term ?

You have to assume that RSA isn't being run by idiots. Either they're looking at closing their doors in seven years, or they've got a plan. I asked Jim Bidzos about this last year. He told me they're planning on becoming a supplier of cryptography code and expertise. By using patent protection to restrict distribution of other implementations, they can sell their own libraries now and get them deployed. After the patents run out, they can rely on the cost of changeover and copyright protection to keep a viable business running. Plus they're going to continue to buy up patents. Eric