A couple of items of interest: 1. Rishab Aiyer Ghosh tells me he has committed to write a review of the Cyphernomicon FAQ for "Wired," for either December or January publication. I had nothing to do with this, and it surprised me when he contacted me to notify me. (I reminded him of the "pre-release" status, the incompletenesses and holes, but he feels it's still timely to review it. And by the time his review gets printed, a newer revision will be available.) I'll make some comments later, but I of course urge Rishab to make his own comments here. 2. The Cyphernomicon is available in two main places that I know of: * My own anonymous ftp site: ftp.netcom.com, in pub/tcmay - 6 files, including the full FAQ, listed as "CP-FAQ" - and 2 flavors of this in compressed and gzipped forms - Contents, MFAQ (Most Frequently Asked Questions), etc. - Netcom has been having performance problems, lately * The Karl Barrus/Chael Hall gopher and ftp site: gopher chaos.bsu.edu - Karl has split the full CP-FAQ file into 20 chapters, each of which can be individually retrieved/mailed. The Cyphernomicon can of course be put on other ftp sites, though this complicates the version control problem. I would appreciate it if anybody who does put it on an ftp site agrees to keep it current, to periodically check my own ftp site and copy over newer versions. (I think the approach of _pointers_ to a few sites is a better approach than copying the actual documents to many sites. The most popular docs will be replicated at more sites, but I think the Cyphernomicon FAQ is sufficiently specialized that a few sites will be enough...that might change if Rishab's review in "Wired" meets with interest...) 3. Hal Abelson, Professor of Computer Science at MIT, has asked me if he could convert the FAQ into a Web document for his class on "ETHICS AND LAW ON THE ELECTRONIC FRONTIER." I have great respect for Hal--co-author of course of the seminal "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs"--so I responded favorably. He says that if I agree, which I did, he'll leave the Web doc available permanently, even after the class is over. More on what the URL is when it's ready; you can try http://martigny.ai.mit.edu/6095, which is his home page for his class. 4. Yes, I still have concerns about multiple, out-dated copies floating around. I worry about people going to great lengths to "Webify" the version they have, and then being unwilling, naturally enough, to repeat the work each time a new version appears. I worry that the "pre-release" version, the version 0.666 I released, will become frozen/encrusted/trapped in the silk of the aptly-named "Web" and thus forever be the de facto public release. (Unless I abandon the writing tools on my own computer and instead concentrate only on adding links and making changes to the Web version. This I just won't do.) 5. Rishab is especially anxious to get CompuServe, AOL, etc., versions available, or referenced in his review in "Wired." Thus, if any of you want to make this conversion, download the FAQ, or the chapters (from Karl's site), etc., and _agree to keep the version relatively current_, then this would be a Good Thing. (I'm not sure the advanced stuff in the Cyphernomicon, stuff about remailers, digital cash, etc., is the most useful stuff for typical "Wired" readers, given the questions the material will generate (as it does on our own list!), but this is not my call to make. Rishab says the editors at "Wired" want his review, so it's out of my hands.) Rishab says he needs to have the CompuServe/AOL/etc. addresses by 27 September, as his review is due on 1 October. So, not much time. There are of course major _size_ problems. I tried to e-mail the FAQ to one list member without ftp access who assured me his mail system could handle it--but it couldn't. And another list member uses a VAX, and only the first line would transfer. The compressed versions have also caused problems for some folks (though not to others, so I know the versions are kosher). Frankly, I shudder to think about the AOL and CompuServe folks, not to mention the Prodigy customers, trying to get a megabyte-plus file, or a gzipped file! So, if someone makes this available, please be careful to make sure it is really retrievable and readable on these systems. Thanks. --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: 2^859433 | Public Key: PGP and MailSafe available. "National borders are just speed bumps on the information superhighway."