S/MIME works fine. Key management isn't a big of deal as many make it out to be. You can pin your key to your linkedin profile or facebook or whatever. Or have a one-time plain-text email asking "Hey, whats your public key?" Right-click, import. Call them on the phone if youre worried that one email was fake.
The problem with HN is that its mostly web-dev startup scene and college students. They've never worked in a company that took security seriously. S/MIME implementations are everywhere in these types of companies and work fine.
If you wanted encrypted email right now you could have it trivially. The problem is that most people don't value it yet. Considering all the hacks and leaks we're seeing, I suspect encrypted email is going to be part of HIPAA or PCI in the next ten years. It makes no sense to use plaintext email in a business setting.
The problem with HN is that its mostly web-dev startup scene and college students. They've never worked in a company that took security seriously. S/MIME implementations are everywhere in these types of companies and work fine.
If you wanted encrypted email right now you could have it trivially. The problem is that most people don't value it yet. Considering all the hacks and leaks we're seeing, I suspect encrypted email is going to be part of HIPAA or PCI in the next ten years. It makes no sense to use plaintext email in a business setting.