concerns with Google mail

Not *really* sure whether it is a bug or feature. When we try logging into Gmail, it accepts the ID without a period, ah let me illustrate with an example. If my ID is prasad.mysore@gmail.com, while logging in if we type 'prasadmysore' and furnish the password for 'prasad.mysore@gmail.com', Gmail allows us to login.

Well, I am not sure whether it is a *known* issue or an unknown bug as I happened to discover it because of a typo. Also I did try to spend time to report this bug to Google, but in *vain*, as I could not get one such link. I am not really sure how 'Usability Engineers' think.

This is indeed a surprise as of now, I persoanlly feel that Gmail could have a specific link easily available for user to report bugs, which would be simple and need *not* be of a Debian 'report bug' sort.

Well, with all these observations, I may be wrong too !!

Cheers !!

--

The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe. - H. L. Mencken

Manually updating key server

Well, I could not technically conclude, why the signatures did not sync between the http://subkeys.pgp.net:11371/ and http://pgp.mit.edu:11371/ key server, but thought of doing a manual update to http://pgp.mit.edu:11371/ server. I know that it is risky to play with the gpg key without proper backup. My instinct was so strong to just check whether I can sync it manually, so I just edited my 'gpg.conf', after taking a backup;

keyserver hkp://pgp.mit.edu
#keyserver hkp://subkeys.pgp.net

and used,

prasad@mayobhava:~$ gpg --send-keys A526A4A5
gpg: sending key A526A4A5 to hkp server pgp.mit.edu
prasad@mayobhava:~$

Then I just verified the signatures on the web and now they are synced. Have a look at the screen shots below.









Cheers !!

--
When in doubt, use brute force. - Ken Thompson

Confusing key servers

I have an understanding that the key servers internally sync all the details, but this is not happening with MIT key server. My 'gpg.conf' file updates the 'subkeys.pgp.net' server.

'keyserver hkp://subkeys.pgp.net' in 'gpg.conf' confirms the same, but when I verify my signatures on the web, it is intact with http://subkeys.pgp.net:11371/, but the same signatures are not reflected in http://pgp.mit.edu:11371/. Not sure what I am failing to understand. I have done some basic RTFM with gpg command too.







--

Any technology that is distinguishable from magic is not sufficiently advanced. - Gregory Benford