From: Black Unicorn <unicorn@schloss.li>
Date: Mon, 25 Mar 1996 19:08:17 +0800
To: "Timothy C. May" <tcmay@got.net>
Subject: Re: Why and how people work for free on "challenges"
In-Reply-To: <ad7b38320002100490f1@[205.199.118.202]>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.960324223548.9177A-100000@polaris.mindport.net>
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On Sun, 24 Mar 1996, Timothy C. May wrote:

> At 12:56 AM 3/25/96, Black Unicorn wrote:

[...]

> >I think, however, that if you know your stuff, and you release the source
> >code to the list, many people here will be open minded enough to take a
> >good look, give you some pointers, perhaps even improve your work.
> 
> While I'm certainly no expert in cryptanalysis, the situation with "Can you
> break this?" challenges is a special case--and an important one--of
> challenges in general.
> 
> To cut to the chase, why do challenges work at all? And under what
> circumstances?

[...]

> * the challenge should come from a reputable group or individual (casual
> challenges of the "I dare you" sort thus get winnowed out)
> * the challenge should involve something "interesting"....first solo flight
> across the Atlantic, first human-powered flight, etc.
> * the challenge needs to come at the right time. There would be little
> interest, for example, in a challenge about the first fusion-powered flight
> (excluding solar-powered, which was a challenge).

[...]

Points well taken.

At the risk of "me too"ing, I concur.

Challenges to indeed serve an important role, and I hardly meant to 
discourage those which have been the subject of careful pre-planning and 
forethought.

> --Tim May

---
My prefered and soon to be permanent e-mail address: unicorn@schloss.li
"In fact, had Bancroft not existed,       potestas scientiae in usu est
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