Internet lobs $$$s at dev of crucial GPG tool after he runs short of cash
Werner Koch is looking at a big payday after pulling in over $150,000 to fund the continuing development of his crucial open-source GNU Privacy Guard encryption tools.
Koch, 53, is a leading light in the free software movement: in 1999, he released GPG, which uses the OpenPGP standard to safeguard the communications of millions of people around the world from eavesdroppers and other miscreants. It also provides protection for much of the multibillion-dollar technology industry.
The code works on plenty of operating systems from Linux and FreeBSD to Windows and OS X. GPG is free, and many use it without paying a penny for the software. Koch puts food on the table for him, his wife and eight-year-old daughter by living off whatever donations or grants he can get. He pretty much works alone on the project, although he has had help over the years.
