From: Bill Stewart <stewarts@ix.netcom.com>
Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 11:47:48 +0800
To: Robert Hettinga <rah@shipwright.com>
Subject: Re: Elliptic Curve Rumor
In-Reply-To: <v030209d0afb537313fa2@[139.167.130.247]>
Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19970603181210.0073f2e4@popd.ix.netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



>heard that Apple has a working implementation of Elliptic Curve Crypto.
NeXT had a working implementation of ECC, plus some patents.
Depending on where the MacOS/NeXtStEp/BeOS/Copland infighting goes,
the right parts of nExTsTeP may be in place to use it NeXT YeAR.

>Because of the export regulations they don't want to include it in their 
>products.  If anyone wants to try to change their minds, now would be a 
>good time.

Will Apple do anything that risks delaying getting their act together,
such as waiting for the Commerce Department to approve something
that's on their critical path?  Only if they see a lot of market in it,
or somebody pushes the right political buttons very hard,
or if it makes the unwritten list of no-explainable-reason features
that any software release ends up being delayed by.
Or - depending on the implementation - if it's not on the critical path,
and they find some way to budget the workers to do the job
without slowing down other critical path items.


#			Thanks;  Bill
# Bill Stewart, +1-415-442-2215 stewarts@ix.netcom.com
# You can get PGP outside the US at ftp.ox.ac.uk/pub/crypto/pgp
#   (If this is a mailing list or news, please Cc: me on replies.  Thanks.)