[mv]Re: Thawte and Verisign - Important Announcement

[Hillary Corney <hjc@consultants.u-net.com>]

******    message to minivend-users from Hillary Corney <hjc@consultants.u-net.com>     ******

Dear Mark,

I am alarmed at your announcement, While I have not figured large in Thawtes
life. I have since I built my first e.commerce server in 1996 used Thawte
certificates exclusively. Moreover as a Consultant in e.commerce I have
recommended your companies services exclusively to very many others, because
Verisign are US based and therefore subject to the extremely silly
cryptography legislation in the US which harms and continues to harm
e.Commerce world wide.

Further Thawte has always provided low cost Apache SSL support. Now it
appears you are only offering support for one more year.

The Linux, Apache, and open source community is going from strength to
strength. It provides the best route for independent low budget
entrepreneurs to gain a start in e.Commerce. If Thawte stops supporting this
community it will be a very sad day for the net. It will further play into
the hands of Microsoft and others who would raise the cost of entry as high
as they can in a race for profit.

Please reconsider your decision,

Yours despondently,

H.Corney



-----------------------------
H. J. Corney
hjc@consultants.u-net.com
hillary@designer-silversmiths.com
Home: 01705 430263
Home: 01705 591925
Fax : 01705 591958
Mobile : 07974 393736


> From: Mark Shuttleworth <marks@thawte.com>
> Date: Sat, 05 Feb 2000 04:53:42 GMT
> To: <hjc@consultants.u-net.com>
> Subject: Thawte and Verisign - Important Announcement
> 
> February 1, 2000
> 
> Dear Thawte Customers and Future Customers:
> 
> In December, VeriSign and Thawte announced their intentions
> to join forces. We hope this letter addresses any questions
> you may have about what this will mean for you.
> 
> Please be assured that none of the things you love most about
> Thawte will change after the acquisition. This includes:
> 
> - Low prices for SSL Server and Personal Certificates
> - The people you have dealt with at Thawte
> - Our commitment to innovation
> 
> VeriSign and Thawte are committed to providing a low entry
> price for sites that wish to conduct secure e-commerce using
> SSL. In fact, we guarantee that Thawte SSL Server Certificates
> will continue to be available to both existing and new customers
> for $125 (or less!) at least through February 1, 2001.  This
> is a firm offer which you can take advantage of at any time
> during this period. You can print out this page and save it
> as proof of our guarantee.
> 
> Furthermore, existing Thawte customers will be entitled to
> receive substantial discounts if they choose to take advantage
> of one of VeriSign's premium certificate offerings, such as
> the VeriSign Secure Site, Secure Site Plus, and Global Site
> solutions. In addition to providing SSL functionality, these
> offerings include popular additional features, such as up to
> $250,000 of NetSure warranty protection, the Secure Site Seal,
> automated performance monitoring through Keynote, free Web site
> security scanning through Netcraft, and free listing of your
> site in the Network Solutions dot.com directory. Look for
> complete information about this discount program soon on
> this site.
> 
> For those of you who enjoy Thawte Personal Freemail certificates,
> please rest assured that you will still be able to obtain free
> personal certificates. VeriSign has offered free personal
> certificates for over 4 years, and we intend to continue that
> program, as well as Thawte's popular Web of Trust program.
> 
> Thawte's vetting and support services will remain in place, so
> that you will still deal with the same people as before when
> you work with us to purchase and get help with certificates.
> 
> Furthermore, Thawte and VeriSign have thoroughly reviewed both
> companies' certificate issuance and support processes. We have
> identified many areas in which the two companies can learn from
> each other. By adapting the best aspects of each other's
> operations and technology, we will be able to deliver even
> more cost-effective services on a global basis.
> 
> Thawte and VeriSign have also spent the past few weeks exploring
> new product strategy for the coming years. Through our
> relationship, we will be able to offer you a much broader
> set of complementary products and services to help you enhance
> your e-commerce site. Working together, Thawte and VeriSign
> plan to introduce a number of exciting services, including
> PKI solutions for the Wireless Web and new low-cost payment
> processing services.
> 
> VeriSign and Thawte recognize that there are many places where
> you can obtain a certificate that enables SSL. We hope that you
> will continue to do business with us now that we have joined
> forces, as we are convinced that we offer the best service,
> the best technology, the highest levels of trust, and the best
> prices across a broad range of solutions.
> 
> You also have our commitment that we will continue to tell you
> about our plans for the future of online trust as they develop.
> If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to
> write to either one of us.
> 
> Sincerely:
> 
> Mark Shuttleworth,
> President and CEO
> Thawte Consulting (Pty) Ltd.
> marks@thawte.com
> 12 Plein Street
> Durbanville 7550
> South Africa
> 
> Stratton Sclavos
> President and CEO
> VeriSign, Inc.
> stratton@verisign.com
> 1350 Charleston Rd.
> Mountain View, CA 94043
> U.S.A.
> 
> 

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