Bringing my PGP Stuff to Ubuntu

[dgoddard1]

I have been using PGP with my Win2K for years and have Public and Secret key rings as well as numerous .pgp files. I see stuff about pgp appears to be built into Ubuntu, but how do I:
A.
Migrate all this stuff from my old windows box to my ubuntu laptop
B.
Get it up and running so that I can read those files.
C.
Make sure that all files that I open have been securely erased after I have finished with them
D.
Particularly, is there anything that I am likely to have to download and install.

Just so that you know where my mind is on this -------
--In Win2k, my pgp was a stand alone version that I had to use to:
-- --decrypt
-- --later re-encrypt
-- --then securely erase the plain text file.
-- --All of the above was done utterly outside any application used to process the plain text file.

[dgoddard1]

MY ERROR

I see now that the term "Security" is referring to the security of the operating system as opposed to the security of one's data from CIA KGB and other snoops. Apparantly that sort of thing is not of interest here. Perhaps there is a better forum in which to place this sort of security concern.

[kevdog]

No this is the right forum.

Just for clarification -- you want to abandon pgp and use the alterative -- gnupg. I'm not exactly certain, but your same keys might actually work within gpg, depending on the ciphers and algorithms contained in your keys. I used pgp-ckt back in the day when it was free, however beyond this release I just used the opensource gnupg. PGP-CKT was one kick *** release however IMHO.

[dgoddard1]

No this is the right forum.

Just for clarification -- you want to abandon pgp and use the alterative -- gnupg.
No, I have no particular desire to abandon PGP, It has sufficed for me and I do like to see that the steps I have commanded have been carried out rather than depend on something that is supposed to have happened automatically.

... your same keys might actually work within gpg,...
That makes gnupg and gpg that you have mentioned. Are these two different alternates to pgp? It was my presumption that pgp is to some extent utilized or accomodated within the Linux distribution because when I make the menu choices System/Preferences/Encryption and Keyrings/PGP Passphrases I find myself lookng at a window which appears to either utilize PGP or components originating in PGP.

Now that I am entering the Linux world on a commited basis (sort of perminant resident status & seeking citizenship ) I am trying to figure out how to adapt or replace stuff I used in windows with stuff available in Linux. PGP is an item that has served me well, but I am open to other encryption software. If it can be used with my old PGP files, so much the better.

[kevdog]

You might want to post a letter to the gnupg mailing list for a definitive answer about compatibility. Either that or just import your keys onto the gpg keyring, and just try to open something.