GPGServices
Encyclopedia
GPGServices is a plugin for the global OS X Services menu
, which adds the ability to almost any application (e.g. Safari
, Finder, or TextEdit
) to use OpenPGP functionalities. In a nutshell:
GPGServices works under Mac OS X
and the actual cryptographic
functionality is handled by MacGPG. Version 1.0 was previously released on July 4, 2006, by Robert Scott Goldsmith, and since 2010 maintained by the GPGTools Project Team
. Both GPGServices and MacGPG are free
open-source software
.
Services menu
The Services menu is a user interface element in a computer operating system. The services are programs that accept input from the user selection, process it, and optionally put the result back in the clipboard. The concept originated in the NeXTSTEP operating system, from which it was carried...
, which adds the ability to almost any application (e.g. Safari
Safari (web browser)
Safari is a web browser developed by Apple Inc. and included with the Mac OS X and iOS operating systems. First released as a public beta on January 7, 2003 on the company's Mac OS X operating system, it became Apple's default browser beginning with Mac OS X v10.3 "Panther". Safari is also the...
, Finder, or TextEdit
TextEdit
TextEdit is a simple, open source word processor and text editor, first featured in NeXT's NEXTSTEP and OPENSTEP. It is now distributed with Mac OS X since Apple Inc.'s acquisition of NeXT, and available as a GNUstep application for other Unix-compatible operating systems such as Linux...
) to use OpenPGP functionalities. In a nutshell:
- Any folder: sign and encrypt.
- Any file: verify, sign, import, encrypt, and decrypt.
- Any text selection: verify and import.
- Any text field: verify, sign, import, export, encrypt, and decrypt.
GPGServices works under Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
and the actual cryptographic
Cryptography
Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
functionality is handled by MacGPG. Version 1.0 was previously released on July 4, 2006, by Robert Scott Goldsmith, and since 2010 maintained by the GPGTools Project Team
GPGTools
GPGTools is an installation package for Apple OS X with software tools for email and file encryption . GPGTools itself and all tools of GPGTools are free and open source software...
. Both GPGServices and MacGPG are free
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
open-source software
Open-source software
Open-source software is computer software that is available in source code form: the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, improve and at times also to distribute the software.Open...
.
See also
- GPGToolsGPGToolsGPGTools is an installation package for Apple OS X with software tools for email and file encryption . GPGTools itself and all tools of GPGTools are free and open source software...
- Pretty Good PrivacyPretty Good PrivacyPretty Good Privacy is a data encryption and decryption computer program that provides cryptographic privacy and authentication for data communication. PGP is often used for signing, encrypting and decrypting texts, E-mails, files, directories and whole disk partitions to increase the security...
- OpenPGP
- EncryptionEncryptionIn cryptography, encryption is the process of transforming information using an algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. The result of the process is encrypted information...