Hi! (wow, what a distribution. I should mention that des-challenge is down this weekend, so the response may not be as expected.)
"Timothy" == Timothy C May <tcmay@got.net> writes:
Timothy> At 11:02 PM +0000 2/15/97, Adam Back wrote: >> Thomas S <ths@fh28.fa.umist.ac.uk> writes: >>> [...] >>> >>> 5. The prize money will be split equally between Gutenberg and >>> EFF. There is a possibility of using part of it for stickers >>> or something similar, but don't count on it. >> Not a good idea. >> >> How can this be enforced? The RSADSI DES challenge is open to >> all comers, and how do you prove that someone who finds the key >> found it through this group effort? The client reports the key to the server, not to the user (very simple, and very simple ways to get around of course). In a nutshell: we can't enforce it, at least I can't see a way to do so. We certainly can't keep people from doing their own "treasure hunt". ... Timothy> A 2-4x factor is significant, and may warrant a Timothy> coordinated search. However, the various problems Timothy> implicit in coordinated searches are factors, too. Timothy> Also, an uncoordinated search solves the "prize" problem, Timothy> as whomever finds the key makes the contact with RSADSI. Indeed--that's what we try to avoid. Our project is not a race for money, it is a demonstration with a political impact. The main point in favour of a coordinated search is the availability of progress reports. Nobody can argue that the key was found by chance--as there is exact data about performance and the expected maximum duration for the search. Timothy> One of the problems with a coordinated search, if the Timothy> remaining keyspace to be doled out is publically Timothy> announced, is that as the keyspace is searched and a key Timothy> _not_ found, the remaining keyspace is increasingly more Timothy> tempting for "independent searchers" to search. Sort of Timothy> the way the odds on some lotteries actually become Timothy> "acceptable" as the lottery pot grows. The organizer of Timothy> the coordinated search must then, I surmise, keep the Timothy> assignments secret and dole out keyspace securely. This is a technical problem which is discussed at the moment. The keyspace will not be publically announced (and it wasn't during the last project). Thomas -- OOOO, OOOOOOOO, |, ths@rz.tu-ilmenau.de OO, OO, O, O, |, http://www.rz.tu-ilmenau.de/~ths/ O, O, O, |, ______ __ ___ O, O--O, O, O, |, | (_ |-|-` O, O, O, |, |homas __)te| |en OO, OO, O, O, |, OOOO, OOOOOOOO, |, not to be forwarded without permission