Re: Insecure or Unsecure

[Etaoin Shrdlu <shrdlu () deaddrop org>]

"Douglas F. Calvert" wrote:
> Hello,
> This is a rather silly question but it has been nagging me all week.
> Is software insecure or unsecure? Would you say "plain text email is
> inherently insecure" or "plaintext email is inherently unsecure?"
>  Is one of the two blatantly incorrect or do they mean slightly
> different things. I am no William Safire so the difference between in
> and un is not readily apparent to me. My gut feeling is that unsecure
> is something that can be fixed where insecure is something that is an
> inherent flaw that can never be fixed.

Not a silly question at all. Your desire to be precise in your
communication is commendable. Software is inherently insecure. I do not
believe that "unsecure" is a valid word. "Unsecured" implies that a boat
has not been moored correctly, and would be the opposite of secured, but
the opposite of secure with respect to software is insecure. I suppose you
might say that Microsoft Windows 98 had not been secured properly, but you
would not say it was unsecure. Rather, you would say it was defective,
since it was inherently insecure. I've used it in context. Hope that
helped.

Plain text email is not insecure. Rich text email is insecure. Encrypted
email is not always desirable, or necessary. I prefer plain text email. For
that matter, I'd say that pgp encrypted email is still plaintext (if done
properly).

--
When the wind blows, there is only the wind;
when it rains, there is only rain;
when the clouds pass, the sun promises to shine.
     -- Lao Tsu