At 12:22 PM +0200 on 10/26/01, jonathan wrote:


>le 2001/10/26 10:16, Heather Donahue à heatherd@... a écrit :
>
>>  The Applied Crypto book has all the major algorithms but I wonder 
>>if there are
>>  any open-source ones on the internet?
>
>most valuable algorithms tend to be open source as peer review is the best
>way of ensuring the degree of 'unbreakability' of a crypto solution.

My problem with algorithms (for crypto or compression) that aren't 
open source is my loathing for companies that patent these things.  I 
think a software developer has the right to create an original 
program, source code or libraries and copyright it.  I don't think 
that the same developer should be able to patent an algorithm since 
generally there aren't any completely original algorithms.

Looking up information on arithmetic encoding compression on the web, 
I found that a few companies have patents on AEC.  Each is a patent 
on a slight variation on an original idea.  Sure the companies that 
have patents make money on the royalties but what about the guys who 
thought it up the first time.

(I have the same problem with genetics companies 'patenting' the 
codes in the human body.  These companies didn't invent the codes or 
human body, they have no right to patent the codes themselves.  Now 
if the make an original product based on that research they have 
numerous rights to that invention.)

There are a few implementation of AEC that "may not be" patented.  I 
want nothing to do with trying to figure out if some algorithm is 
patented or not.  So I won't waste my time trying to create an FB 
version of such code.  I tend to agree with the statements on this 
page: <http://www.faqs.org/faqs/jpeg-faq/part1/section-18.html>

A while back I was working on a FB version of the StuffIt SDK 5.5.1 
but at the time it would only work with an external StuffIt engine. 
I was told that the SDK 6.0 version would include all the functions 
in a shared library.  This could be added to an FB project and made 
internal to an application.

I was in contact with a representative of Aladdin Systems and when I 
was done they would make the FB version available on their website. 
Since SKD 5.5 was limited, I decide to wait.  I've started work on an 
FB version of SDK 6.0, the headers are done but I need to finish up 
the documentation.  I also want to include the examples but I need to 
port them from the C.

P.S.  It will have to wait until after I get back from Walt Disney World!