From: Jim choate <ravage@bga.com>
Date: Sat, 9 Jul 94 08:35:58 PDT
To: ebrandt@jarthur.cs.hmc.edu (Eli Brandt)
Subject: Re: (fwd) Re: BSD random() - any good (source included)
In-Reply-To: <9407082300.AA28350@toad.com>
Message-ID: <199407091535.KAA04155@zoom.bga.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text


> 
> "Crypto-weak" as opposed to "crypto-strong", cryptographically strong.
> The guy was testing BSD random(), which I think is Yet Another Linear
> Congruential Generator.  If you think an LC PRNG has cryptographic
> relevance, you are gravely mistaken.
>
For top of the line crypto, you are absolutely correct. For a learning
resource, I disagree.

> What's so hard about "crypto-related"?  If you can't think of any
> relationship between the articles and cryptography (technical,
> social, political, whatever), don't forward them.  If they had been
> about cryptoanalysis of random(), that might be relevant, though
> hardly ground-breaking.
>
The concept of testing a RNG's stabilty and operating characteristics
is something which is directly crypto related. Much more so than pedophilia
or alt.whatever.rainbow.......

> > Yes, I could do that if I were so inclined. I am not.
> 
> So I see.  You're not willing to take it upon youself to mail copies
> to people who can't otherwise get them, but you're happy to inflict
> irrelevant material straight out of Knuth on people who could easily
> get it themselves.  What *is* your rationale here?
> 
To help those who don't have access to this material other than through
e-mail. And no I am not going to create a list of people and manualy
setup some form of sub-list to filter this stuff according to each 
individuals interest. I don't have the interest, time, or the information
on each and every  member of c-punks to carry this out. 
> > The bottem line is it was crypto related, was in reference to source code,
> > and therefore fit the charter of this group.
> 
> Source code, yes.  Would you like to explain its relationship to crypto?
> 
RNG's are commenly used in crypto, to understand the more compicated techniques
one must learn the more mundane basics.

My main rationale is that while I see lots of people making suggestions I dont
see any of them actually carrying it out. In the whole time I have been on 
this list I have *never* seen referals to the newsgroups. I have seen a 
general trend to repost this material so that people simply have it right 
then and there instead of having to send a sub-group  roaming around looking
for it. Seems a much more labor saving system.

>    Eli   ebrandt@hmc.edu
> 
>