Lawyers for Phil Zimmermann, developer of PGP encryption software, have met for the first time with U.S. government attorneys who, after a two-year investigation, are apparently ready to proceed with an indictment that could result in a ten-year prison sentence and $1 million fine for Zimmermann. At issue is how PGP software was distributed over the Internet in what the government claims was a violation of export laws. How the case is resolved could have far-reaching Internet-related ramifications.
Learning from its mistakes, Intel will begin publicly documenting and disclosing flaws in its microprocessors and microcontrollers via addenda to design handboooks. Under the new procedure, hardware and software customers will be the first to learn of bugs, then the public.
Microsoft and the Justice Department are back in court, but this time both have been scolded by U.S. District Court Judge Stanley Sporkin over the terms of the July 1994 consent decree, which restricts Microsoft's licensing practices. Sporkin said his current understanding of the consent decree suggests he should reject it.