During a Digital seminar, a statement was made that 64-bit CPUs are about 10x faster than a 32-bit CPU in dealing with crypto, and that Alphas are favorites of Crypto-affiliated Gov't agencies. I spoke with a reference within Digital and the following logic was presented: o A 128-bit key is processed in two 64-bit chunks, vs four 32-bit chunks, greatly reducing processing time. o The Alpha executes four instructions per clock cycle. o Alpha clock ratings are 600MHz this summer. o Caveat: The O.S. needs to support 64-bit processing (Digital UNIX or Linux, not NT). I'm concerned about the strength of personal/corporate crypto in face of large jumps in processing power. I do not subscribe to cypherpunks due to the volume, so please respond to me directly on this question. stoutb@pios.com Bill Stout