Not necessarily. Zero knowledge proof techniques, for instance, can be applied to make source code as impenetrable as one wishes. This tends to carry a heavy runtime overhead, of course.
Could you go into more detail on this? Thanks! -- Ed Carp, N7EKG erc@apple.com 510/659-9560
I didn't write the item above, but I'll add my comments anyway. Zero knowledge interactive proof systems are a critical part of modern crypto. Here's the brief summary from the Cypherpunks Glossary, available by anon. ftp at soda.berkeley.edu in pub/cypherpunks/misc as glossary.text.gz. *** zero knowledge proofs -- proofs in which no knowledge of the actual proof is conveyed. Peggy the Prover demonstrates to Sid the Skeptic that she is indeed in possession of some piece of knowledge without actually revealing any of that knowledge. This is useful for access to computers, because eavesdroppers or dishonest sysops cannot steal the knowledge given. Also called minimum disclosure proofs. Useful for proving possession of some property, or credential, such as age or voting status, without revealing personal information. By the way, this Glossary was distributed at the very first Cypherpunks meeting, a year ago. While never intended as an FAQ, it still may be of value to subscribers here. -Tim May -- .......................................................................... Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@netcom.com | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero 408-688-5409 | knowledge, reputations, information markets, W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA | black markets, collapse of governments. Higher Power: 2^756839 | Public Key: PGP and MailSafe available. Note: I put time and money into writing this posting. I hope you enjoy it.