HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: gdb15@grebe.cl.cam.ac.uk (Guy Barry)
Subject: Re: Tastes in comedy (was Re: Hyphening)
Reply-To: gdb15@cl.cam.ac.uk
Organization: U of Cambridge Computer Lab, UK
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 17:15:06 GMT

In article <C1EqDt.CyD@cck.coventry.ac.uk> gdg019@cch.coventry.ac.uk (Ridley McIntyre) writes:

>Maybe it's just me, but I wasn't even born when Monty
>was first shown and I love it. However, there is a great deal of formula
>to be found in Monty gags. For example, what I call the Thesaurus formula,
>where they reel out about twenty different ways of saying the same thing,
>yet it's still funny. eg. the Parrot Sketch and the Cheese Shop Sketch
>(hundreds of ways of saying "dead" hundreds of different kinds of cheese).

Hundreds of versions of the same sketch...

Guy (avowed Python-hater)

--
Guy Barry, University of Cambridge | Phone: +44 (0)223 334757 
Computer Laboratory                | Fax: +44 (0)223 334678
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street  | JANET: Guy.Barry@uk.ac.cam.cl 
Cambridge CB2 3QG, England, UK     | Internet: Guy.Barry@cl.cam.ac.uk
From: des@inmos.co.uk (David Shepherd)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Camilla-gate
Date: 21 Jan 93 17:56:41 GMT
Distribution: uk
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]

Piercarlo Grandi (pcg@aber.ac.uk) wrote:
: I have seen on newspaper assertions that the security at royal places is
: terrible, and only recently they got some retired military as a security
: expert.

Having been to a reception at Buckingham Palace I'd say that from
what I saw it was totally non-existant.

--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
david shepherd: des@inmos.co.uk                     tel: 0454-616616 x 625
                inmos ltd, 1000 aztec west, almondsbury, bristol, bs12 4sq
		Life doesn't imitate art, it imitates bad television
						      - Husbands and Wives
From: snail@lsl.co.uk
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Tastes in comedy (was Re: Hyphening)
Date: 22 Jan 93 14:53:53 GMT
Organization: Laser-Scan Ltd., Cambridge

In article <930120.154544.2T3.rusnews.w165w@mantis.co.uk>, mathew@mantis.co.uk (mathew) writes:
> gdb15@cl.cam.ac.uk writes:
>>In article <30475@castle.ed.ac.uk> fofp@castle.ed.ac.uk (M Holmes) writes:
>>>gdb15@grebe.cl.cam.ac.uk (Guy Barry) writes:
>>>>(especially Monty Python, most of which doesn't rise above schoolboy level)
>>>
>>>Oh yes it DOES!
>> 
>> Would you care to give an example?
> 
> Example, eh?  Could be, could be.  Know what I mean?  Nudge nudge.

wink, wink, nods as good as a wink to a blind man, know what I mean? know what
I mean?
-- 
snail@lsl.co.uk      

"Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless
 means to side with the powerful, not to be Neutral."
                                                     Quote by Freire.
                                                     Poster by OXFAM.
From: rt@uknet.ac.uk (Roy.Thearle)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: B&B contact sought ( Apr 4-11 , London )
Keywords: not from me!
Date: 26 Jan 93 16:14:37 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: UKnet

This isn't from me - I've been requested to post it for chytil@eunet.co.at

__________________________________________________________________________

I'd like to spend a week in London in April ( Apr 4-11 ) .
However, I've been unable to get any accomodation via local traveller
agencies, and don't want me (well, _I_ could stand it) and my girlfriend
to end up on some rainstroken parkbench.
I'd be grateful to any contacts in the non-luxury range.

		Georg

Chytil Georg                                      GC82     chytil@eunet.co.at
EUnet EDV-Dienstleistungs-Gesellschaft            chytil@vlsivie.tuwien.ac.at
Phone : 0043/(0)222/346184    Fax : 0043/(0)222/3104462   Home : 0222/3718445
Newsgroups: uk.misc
From: gtoal@pizzabox.demon.co.uk (Graham Toal)
Subject: Re: Camilla-gate
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 17:41:16 +0000

					  Thus, if both ends of a two-mobile
	   conversation have encryption, the conversation never appears on the
	   air-waves in clear.

	Even so, this in itself is probably not enough to secure the
	conversation from interception by GCHQ or NSA. It would be reasonable
	to assume that the resources of these organisations are capable of
	breaking ANY encryption system available for public use. [If not, what
	is the taxpayer's money being spent on?] Hopefully, they expend their
	energies on communications which are more important than Charles and
	Camilla's pillow talk, but how are we to know?

I doubt very much whether GCHQ have *ever* had to listen to cellular calls
off the airwaves.  If they do, I offer them my services as a consultant
dead cheap to tell them how to do it the easy way ;-)

I think it's fairly well acknowleged nowadays that GCHQ and the SIS 'Post
Office Employees' in Scotland Yard's telex centre devote a fair bit of
their time to studying business transactions to help Britain's favoured
government-friendly industries.  I suspect the odd 'old-boy' phonecall
to the highups in BA etc is a pretty common occurrence.

G
From: aw1@stade.co.uk (Adrian Wontroba)
Newsgroups: midlands.general,uk.misc
Subject: Re: Free (broken) modems
Summary: They've gone
Date: 26 Jan 93 13:54:39 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: Stade Computers Limited, UK

In article <1993Jan24.225041.4050@stade.co.uk> aw1@stade.co.uk (Adrian Wontroba) writes:
>I have two broken TrailBlazers available, free to anybody who cares
>to come and take them off my hands. The first person who actually
>arrives to collect them wins.

Somebody has arrived and collected them.

My apologies for arranging this as a race.
-- 
Adrian Wontroba, Stade Computers Limited.	phone:	(+44) 21 373 9546
uucp:	...!uknet!stade!aw1		other: aw1%stade.co.uk@uknet.ac.uk
snail:	14 Fourlands Avenue, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B72 1YY, UK
From: cam@castle.ed.ac.uk (Chris Malcolm)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Camilla-gate
Date: 21 Jan 93 10:50:27 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: Edinburgh University

In article <2414@snap> paj@uk.co.gec-mrc (Paul Johnson) writes:

>Is Prince Charles *really*
>so stupid as to broadcast such a conversation?

It is impossible to underestimate the technical ignorance and
scientific naivete of our leaders. Remember Thatcher's electionaeering
Battle Bus? It was full of Thatcher aides wittering away on their
mobile phones planning their next moves and discussing what Labour was
up to etc. Following the bus was a convoy of press cars and vans,
keeping themsleves up-to-date by listening in to these conversations
on their scanners, bought in Totttenham Court Road. Thatcher etc. were
absolutely stunned to discover they were being overheard. They had no
idea it was possible. Despite the fact that Mrs T. was head of
Britains secret services, and her bus contained secret service men.

One of the amazing things revealed in Peter Wright's book about MI5
was how technically ignorant MI5 was/is. They like to leave the
technical stuff to "back-room boffins", often external consultants.
They have very little expertise of their own. Witness the nonsense
that so-called security experts have been feeding the papers
concerning the possibilities of picking up mobile phone conversations.

I blame the public school system :-)
-- 
Chris Malcolm    cam@uk.ac.ed.aifh          +44 (0)31 650 3085
Department of Artificial Intelligence,    Edinburgh University
5 Forrest Hill, Edinburgh, EH1 2QL, UK                DoD #205
Newsgroups: uk.misc
From: andy@csqx.cs.rhbnc.ac.uk
Subject: BBC Horizon on Richard Feynman (sp)
Organization: RHBNC
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 14:22:43 GMT


Richard Feynman, the frigidera and bongo-playing theoretical physicist,
who worked on the first atomic bomb at Los Alamos and played frigidera in
a Brazilian street band, is the subject of a two-part Horizon special.  If
I could put it more strongly than that this should be compulsory viewing
for anyone interested in science, I would.  It really should not be
missed.

 The first part is tonight (Mon) on BBC2 (around 8pm - but I don't know
for sure), repeated this Wed (I think - again, it's worth checking this).
The second part is at the same time(s) next week.

andy
-- 
Andy Thomas
Information Security Group,  Department of Computer Science
Royal Holloway,  University of London   TW20 0EX, England
Internet:  andy@dcs.rhbnc.ac.uk   phone: + 44 784 443696
Newsgroups: uk.misc
From: s0rah@exnet.co.uk (R A Hollands)
Subject: Re: Symbol for pound sterling
Organization: ExNet Systems Ltd Public Access News, London, UK
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 08:49:59 GMT

In article <C15CLw.9zq@micrognosis.co.uk> jharuni@micrognosis.co.uk writes:
>I wrote:
>[What is a good way to write "10 pounds" other than spelling it out in full ?]
>
>Thanks for all your responses.  Looks like "GBP 10" is the winner.  I prefer
>it to either #10 or L10.
>

What do you call "#"?  In this thread it's been "hash", "hatch" and
"sharp".  I've also seen "gate" (on instructions for Prestel).

Best of all though is in the docs for PC AWK: there it's called "the
octothorp".  My dictionary doesn't believe this and I'm not sure I do. 
Anyone else heard it?

Richard
[s0rah@exnet.co.uk]
From: eanv20@castle.ed.ac.uk (John Woods)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: advertizing and ladybirds
Date: 26 Jan 93 14:40:05 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: Edinburgh University

Wouldn't it be nice if advertizers were to start giving credit to
major artistic influences?  Adverts could run small bylines to the
effect that the music was Mozart's Horn Concerto #4 etc, and the
Ariston people could acknowledge the Bulgarian (?) animation `Tango'
--- turning what looks like plagiarism into an obvious compliment.

				... John

P.S.: Where can I buy ladybirds for a greenhouse/conservatory?


-- 
 /******* cut here ******* John Woods ******* cut here ********
 * Philosophy: Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit (Virgil) *
 * Disclaimer: Every statement in this file is possibly !true *
 ******** cut here ******* John Woods ******* cut here *******/
From: dhd@exnet.co.uk (Damon)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Symbol for pound sterling
Date: 21 Jan 93 19:35:21 GMT
Organization: ExNet Systems Ltd Public Access News, London, UK

In article <C174JH.Iq@exnet.co.uk> s0rah@exnet.co.uk (R A Hollands) writes:
>In article <C15CLw.9zq@micrognosis.co.uk> jharuni@micrognosis.co.uk writes:
>>I wrote:
>>[What is a good way to write "10 pounds" other than spelling it out in full ?]
>>
>>Thanks for all your responses.  Looks like "GBP 10" is the winner.  I prefer
>>it to either #10 or L10.
>>
>
>What do you call "#"?  In this thread it's been "hash", "hatch" and
>"sharp".  I've also seen "gate" (on instructions for Prestel).

I call it `hash', but then I call `!' `pling' or `bang' so I may be
atypical!  B^>

BTW, UK#10 seems to be understandable.  In Parallelogram (an
international mag I edit <grin>) no one has complained about my
notation of which the two most common examples are UK# and US$, but
also FF and It# have shown up.  Not standard, I suppose, but I think
consistent and understood.

>Best of all though is in the docs for PC AWK: there it's called "the
>octothorp".  My dictionary doesn't believe this and I'm not sure I do. 
>Anyone else heard it?

No; it's very weird...

Damon
-- 
Damon Hart-Davis        London, UK        Internet: dhd@exnet.co.uk, d@hd.org

Public-access UNIX (Suns), news and mail for UK#5 per month.  FIRST MONTH FREE.
[1.36] Cheap Sun eqpt.  UUCP news/mail feeds.  Tel/Fax: +44 81 755 0077.
From: ken@aiai.ed.ac.uk (Ken Johnson)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Camilla-gate
Date: 25 Jan 93 14:40:03 GMT
Followup-To: uk.misc
Distribution: uk
Organization: William's Wonderful Wonky Widget Warehouse


In article <1993Jan22.161524.20250@visionware.co.uk>
simon@visionware.co.uk (Simon Taylor) writes:

#  [...] a new encryption system being tested by Vodaphone.  The system
#  does not require a descrambler at the non-mobile end of the conversation


Sounds like a marketing man's product to me. 

`Sebastian, I say, what can we sell the toffs once they've bought a
mobile phone?'

`Well, Jules, we could try to sell their wives one.  To ring home in
case they get kidnapped by a mad axe-wielding rapist.  To set their
husbands' minds at ease.  We could sort of pretend the cost is lower by
putting the price up, if you see what I...'

`We tried that.  Any more bright ideas?'

`How about a sort of encryption thingy, so that when you annoy everyone
on the train by phoning your wife and telling her you're late, which she
already knows because you haven't got home yet, nobody else will know?'

`Except everybody in the carriage, of course.'



-- 
Son, all the pretty, intelligent, healthy     #    I have discovered of this
young women are taken. It's a basic rule of   #    basic rule of the universe
the universe, and if you don't like it, go    #    a most remarkable proof,
somewhere else.        -- my dad  1906-1992   #    which this .signature is too
From: richard@aiai.ed.ac.uk (Richard Tobin)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Telly Addicts
Date: 26 Jan 93 15:09:25 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: HCRC, University of Edinburgh

In article <C1EIp5.18L@fulcrum.co.uk> davidw@fulcrum.co.uk (David Wilkinson) writes:
>According to a survey in this week's Radio Times, 15% of those
>questioned wouldn't give up watching TV in exchange for a million
>pounds.

>Sad, isn't it?

Au contraire, it's most encouraging to see that some people are not
enslaved by the desire for money...


-- Richard
-- 
Richard Tobin,
Human Communication Research Centre,                       R.Tobin@ed.ac.uk
Edinburgh University.
From: adh@minster.york.ac.uk
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Papa! Nicole! (was Re: Ariston music for TV Advert)
Date: 22 Jan 93 13:48:50 GMT
Reply-To: adh@minster.york.ac.uk (adh)
Distribution: uk
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of York, England

In article <1993Jan21.091603.11980@infodev.cam.ac.uk> Bernie.Jones@cl.cam.ac.uk writes:
>In article <727543086.9613@minster.york.ac.uk> adh@minster.york.ac.uk (adh) writes:
>>
>>hypothetically,
>>adh
>
>Hey wow - have you met Ken Johnson? Made for one another... ;-)
>
no, but my grandmother used to live just round the corner from him.

coincidentally,
adh
From: sandell@chowning.CNMAT.Berkeley.EDU (Gregory J. Sandell)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: V I Warshawski
Date: 28 Jan 93 19:58:24 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: chowning.cnmat.berkeley.edu

In article <zlsiida.866@fs1.mcc.ac.uk> zlsiida@fs1.mcc.ac.uk (dave budd)  
writes:
> Radio 4 1830hrs tonite (Thursday 28th), Kathleen Turner as V I  
Warshawski 
> is back!        ^^^^^^ US spelling in honour of Kathleen
> 

The movie was atrociously bad, but the series of V.I. Warshawski novels by  
Sara Paretsky on which the movie was based are wonderful.  If you like  
novels with all sorts of gritty detail about Chicago.
--
Greg Sandell
From: snail@lsl.co.uk
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Newsgroup uk.pubs ??
Date: 25 Jan 93 18:42:53 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: Laser-Scan Ltd., Cambridge

In article <1993Jan22.143127.14958@cm.cf.ac.uk>, gedge@cm.cf.ac.uk (Geraint A Edwards) writes:
> cs_a271@ceres.kingston.ac.uk (Christopher Adams) writes:
> } Why not call it 'uk.alcohol'
> 
> I thought that was an improvement on the pub-specific proposal too.
> Then I thought uk.booze might sound a little less like chemistry.

and a bit more sleazy....yup, sign me up!
-- 
snail@lsl.co.uk      

"Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless
 means to side with the powerful, not to be Neutral."
                                                     Quote by Freire.
                                                     Poster by OXFAM.
Xref: sparky uk.misc:3178 rec.arts.tv.uk:7587
From: ianking@nnsgs52 (Ian King)
Newsgroups: uk.misc,rec.arts.tv.uk
Subject: Re: French cars are a rip-off
Followup-To: uk.misc,rec.arts.tv.uk
Date: 25 Jan 1993 18:20:05 GMT
Organization: Northern Telecom Europe Ltd
Reply-To: ianking@lon40.nt.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: nnsgs52.lon40.nt.com
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]

Mark Neale (mark@edscom.demon.co.uk) wrote:
: In article <1993Jan25.095737.9157@jet.uk> djs@jet.uk (David J Stevenson) writes:
:    Incidentally, it cost SEVENTY QUID for a new headlamp for my Pug 205.  What's
:    French for "rip-off" ?

: The answer to this is of course - Buy British. After all this is
: UK.misc. It cost me about 45 pounds for a headlight for my Nova.
: Having said this, the Nova is built in Spain and GM are an American
: company .....

: (PS. sorry, Dave, couldn't resist).

: -- mark neale             mark@edscom.demon.uk     +44 908 284708
: -- any opinion expressed above is.

Well it has just cost me 90 pounds + vat for a new headlight for my Rover. The
headlight is made by Lucas.


Regards...
.........Ian

--
ADVANCE MICRO COMPUTERS LTD & Wolverton Rail | EMAIL: ianking@amicro.demon.co.uk
 PO Box 362, Olney, Nr. Milton Keynes,       |   or   ianking@lon40.nt.com
  Bucks, MK46 5ES, ENGLAND, UK.              |                ^^^^^^^^^^^^ UK not USA
   TEL: +44 (0)234-711615 FAX: +44 (0)234-240976 MOBILE: +44 (0)831-535618
From: snail@lsl.co.uk
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Symbol for pound sterling
Date: 21 Jan 93 11:41:32 GMT
Organization: Laser-Scan Ltd., Cambridge

In article <727485345snz@home.demon.co.uk>, cms@home.demon.co.uk (Cliff Stanford) writes:
> In article <C13IJG.nw@micrognosis.co.uk> jharuni@micrognosis.co.uk writes:
> 
>>If "#" is not an acceptable alternative to the real symbol, what would
>>be an acceptable way of writing "10 pounds" in mail ?  Just a capital ell,
>>like "L10" ?   Spell it out in full, like "10 pounds" ?
> 
> It is practically a standard to use '#' as a pound sign.  Why not, indeed,
> as it is one of the few ascii characters that has no (other) meaning in
> English?

Wrong. # means sharp in english musical notation.

>  And the actual pound sign ('' for any ibmpc users out there)
> has no equivalence in ascii.
> 	Regards,
> 		Cliff.
-- 
snail@lsl.co.uk      

"Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless
 means to side with the powerful, not to be Neutral."
                                                     Quote by Freire.
                                                     Poster by OXFAM.
Newsgroups: uk.misc
From: andy@osea.demon.co.uk (Andrew Haveland-Robinson)
Distribution: world
Subject: Re: Telly Addicts
X-Mailer: cppnews $Revision: 1.14 $
Organization: Haveland-Robinson Associates
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 01:00:20 +0000


In article <C1F7H9.7rq@fulcrum.co.uk> rct@fulcrum.co.uk (Richard Taylor) writes:

>In article <C1F498.IJG@brunel.ac.uk> cs89rdb@brunel.ac.uk (Roger D Binns) writes:
>>David Wilkinson (davidw@fulcrum.co.uk) wrote:
>>: According to a survey in this week's Radio Times, 15% of those
>>: questioned wouldn't give up watching TV in exchange for a million
>>: pounds.
>>
>>If you mean never look at a TV screen that is on (ie no videos, games, etc
>>etc), then it becomes a quality of life issue.  I would find it hard to
>>live without DTDD, although a million pounds and the soundtrack would be a
>              ^^^^
>
>Not knowing what this is, I could rather easily live without it. In
>fact I could happily live without acronyms and mnemonics altogether.
>Now, if you asked me to give up the net, I think I could be bribed for
>about a grand. I'm waiting...

DTDD = Drop The Dead Donkey??

If I was offered a million to give up computing, I'd have to refuse it
I'm afraid...  I could quite easily give up TV for the price of a cup of
tea though...   :-)

I'd like to think it reflects my earning potential over the next few years!

Andy.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Haveland-Robinson Associates   | Email: andy@osea.demon.co.uk         |
| 54 Greenfield Road, London     |        ahaveland@cix.compulink.co.uk |
| N15 5EP England. 081-800 1708  | Also:  0621-88756 081-802 4502       |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
<<>> Those that can, use applications. Those that can't, write them! <<>>
> Some dream of doing great things, while others stay awake and do them <
Newsgroups: uk.misc
From: roy@harlqn.co.uk (Roy Badami)
Subject: Re: Symbol for pound sterling
Organization: Harlequin Limited, Cambridge, England
	<6525@mccuts.uts.mcc.ac.uk>
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 14:24:57 GMT

In article <6525@mccuts.uts.mcc.ac.uk> zzatsjl@uts.mcc.ac.uk (Janusz Lukasiak) writes:

   >Common abbreviations are GBP for Great British Pounds (since when!!!), 
   >UKP for UK Pounds and UKL for UK Pounds (where L is supposed to be the 
   >old crossed L)

   I  reiterate my previous statement that only GBP is internationally 
   recognised.

Amex use UKL.
--
Roy Badami, Harlequin Ltd, Barrington Hall, Barrington, Cambridge,  U.K.
Internet: roy@harlqn.co.uk               UUCP: ..!mcsun!uknet!harlqn!roy

When we reach that point, whatever happenned _will_ happen again...
From: rickt@bnr.co.uk (Rick Tait)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: WANTED: IBM Compatible Laptop/Notebook computer
Date: 22 Jan 93 13:53:49 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: BNR Europe, New Southgate, London.
NNTP-Posting-Host: bnsgs158.bnr.co.uk

I guess the subject line says it all really!!

If anyone has an IBM Compatible Laptop or Notebook which is a
386SX 16MHz or better (though not a 486!!) which they wish to
sell, please get in touch as soon as possible!! I'll consider
anything!!! 

I'm in the London/South Herts. area, and if you're within 50ish
miles I'll come out and have a look.

Thanks in advance,

-- 
---
Rick Tait, Dept GM21, NMBASE Group, TSE, LON40, EMail: R.Tait@bnr.co.uk
Northern Telecom Europe Ltd, Oakleigh Rd South, New Southgate, London, N11 1HB
Voice: +44 (0)81 945 3352, Fax: +44 (0)81 945 3116, NT Canada: ricktait@bnr.ca
Xref: sparky uk.misc:3253 alt.conspiracy:14762
From: mathew <mathew@mantis.co.uk>
Newsgroups: uk.misc,alt.conspiracy
Subject: Re: Camilla-gate
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 93 17:07:27 GMT
Organization: Mantis Consultants, Cambridge. UK.
X-Newsreader: rusnews v0.98

jim@cs.strath.ac.uk (Jim Reid) writes:
> In article <C1GBBw.I0p@demon.co.uk> pettsj@visigoth.demon.co.uk (James Petts)
>  writes:
>    Unlikely. Although it has never been proven, the RSA Public Key system 
>    is though to be secure using a 1024 bit modulus for the calculation.
> 
> And where can any of us buy encryption devices which use RSA (let
> alone ones for real-time encoding/decoding of telephone
> conversations)?

There's plenty of software that uses it.  PGP and RIPEM are the two obvious
choices; they're both free and come with source code.  For information about
PGP, you can mail pgpinfo@mantis.co.uk.  [ You probably know this, but some
people reading this thread might not. ]

> Remember too that exhaustive calculation like a complete search of
> the key space is an unproductive way of breaking codes. RSA can be
> broken by factoring huge numbers, if you want to wait until the end of
> the universe. Other techniques such as analysis of the ciphertext (say
> looking for repeating patterns) will yield insights into how the key
> is constructed.

PGP compresses the ciphertext before encrypting conventionally using the IDEA
algorithm with a random session key.  It then uses RSA on the session key.
(RSA on the whole file would be rather slow.)

I haven't looked at what RIPEM does yet.

> Note too that a strong ciphersystem is in itself not secure. Care has
> to be taken with key management. How often have UNIX systems been
> broken into because users choose obvious passwords (keys) or make them
> public?

PGP and RIPEM both protect the private keys with passwords.  PGP also has a
facility to certify and verify keys by signing them with your private key.
RIPEM instead relies on an official centralized key server and certification
authority.

>                                    Secondly, RSA Inc has patented the
> RSA algorithm in the USA. These patents don't apply in most of the
> rest of the world because of differences in patent law. RSA Inc won't
> export their product until they are able to protect it with overseas
> patents.

And a fat lot of good it does them.  Still, I wonder if they're behind the
TRIPs section of GATT?


mathew