http://www.openpgp.org/about_openpgp/history.shtml
History
OpenPGP is a non-proprietary protocol for encrypting email using public key cryptography. It is based on PGP as originally developed by Phil Zimmermann.
openpgp是一个用pki来加密email的非私有协议，它以Phil Zimmermann原创开发的pgp为基础。
The OpenPGP protocol defines standard formats for encrypted messages, signatures, private keys, and certificates for exchanging public keys.
openpgp协议定义了交换公钥用的消息加密，签名，私钥，证书的标准格式。
Pretty Good Privacy or PGP was written by Phil Zimmermann in 1991 and introduced to the Internet community as freeware.
Pretty Good Privacy或者PGP由Phil Zimmermann在1991年编写并以免费软件向互联网社区公布。
For that, he was the target of a three-year criminal investigation, because the US government held that US export restrictions for cryptographic software were violated when PGP spread all around the world following its publication as freeware.
为此他成为三年犯罪调查的目标，因为当pgp的免费公开已传遍全球之时，美国政府认为加密软件违反了输出管制。
Despite the lack of funding, the lack of any paid staff, the lack of a company to stand behind it, and despite government persecution, PGP became the most widely used email encryption software in the world.
尽管缺乏资金，没有任何工作人员，没有一个公司支持它，还有政府施压，pgp还是在全世界的email加密软件中广泛使用。
After the government dropped its case in early 1996, Zimmermann founded PGP Inc.
1996年后政府放弃了这个案件，于是Zimmermann创建了PGP inc。
That company and its intellectual property were acquired by Network Associates Inc (NAI) in December 1997.
1997年11月他的公司及所有知识产权被NAI(network associates inc)公司获得,
NAI continued to own and develop PGP products for commercial and freeware purposes.In 2002, NAI discontinued development and sales of PGP, and sold the rights to it to a new company, PGP Corporation.In 2002, NAI discontinued development and sales of PGP, and sold the rights to it to a new company, PGP Corporation.
NAI继续开发pgp相关的商业与免费产品，2002年NAI中断开发并出售了pgp及其所有相关权利给了新公司--PGP corporation。
After leaving NAI in January 2001, Zimmermann started the OpenPGP Alliance, and is currently engaged in other projects, some involving OpenPGP implementors, including PGP Corp. For more details, see his web site.
2001年1月离开NAI后，Zimmermann启动了OpenPGP Alliance，到现在有一些调用OpenPGP实现的项目，包括PGP corp。更多细节，请看他的网页。
OpenPGP is the open standards version of NAI‘s PGP encryption protocol. The OpenPGP Working Group is seeking the qualification of OpenPGP as an Internet Standard as defined by the IETF.
OpenPGP是NAI的pgp加密协议的开放标准版本，openpgp工作组正在寻找由ietf定义的互联网标准的资格。
Each distinct version of an Internet standards-related specification is published as part of the "Request for Comments" (RFC) document series. OpenPGP is RFC2440.
每一个互联网标准相关规范的不同版本被作为RFC文档系列的一部分被发布。OpenPGP is RFC2440。
OpenPGP has now reached the second stage in the IETF‘s four-step standards process, and is currently seeking draft standard status.
OpenPGP现在已经到达了IETF四步标准进程的第二阶段，并且当前正在寻找草案标准状态。
IETF rules call for a wait of at least six months before a proposed standard becomes a draft, during which it can be demonstrated that there are a number of implementations running and that they are interoperable.
IETF规定了在一个推荐标准成为一个草案之前须等待至少6个月，在此期间被展示给大量运行的实现并且能够互操作。