At 03:04 PM 9/29/00 +0000, Steve Thompson wrote:
To correct my ignorance on current cryptography issues, I have been browsing the archives. Some time ago, there was quite a bit of talk about the MISTY algorithm, although I did not chance upon any pointers to an actual implementation. Since the character of the messages which I did read seemed to be (loosely speaking) light-hearted, I cannot decide whether the algorithm is some sort of `in' joke, or whether it was a cryptographic algorithm which didn't `cut it' under peer review.
Are there any old-timers who recall the algorithm in question?
There was one guy from Japan who kept trying to create discussion, in relatively-clueless mode, but he wasn't a cryptographer, so he couldn't give us good reasons to use it other than it being from Japan, and there are patent problems with the algorithm (I think he may have been connected to the company that owns it), and some of its relatives were broken (or maybe it; I don't remember). Tim flamed him a lot. Thanks! Bill Bill Stewart, bill.stewart@pobox.com PGP Fingerprint D454 E202 CBC8 40BF 3C85 B884 0ABE 4639