[geeks] iPad - NOT a 'Miss' for me I'm afraid

[gsm at mendelson.com]

On Wed, Feb 03, 2010 at 11:30:30AM -0500, Lionel Peterson wrote:

>Phil, I think you over-estimate the intended effect of restricting
>export of Crypto technology. I never assumed it was to squash all
>other Crypto work, instead I assumed the issue was to not help them
>out, let them come up with what they can by themselves...

Actually it had a very specific intended consequence. DES decoding hardware was 
prohibited from export so that HBO, etc. could encrypt its signal without fear of
people buying "boxes" in the US and taking them to Canada or Mexico.

Software containing DES code was used (but not the original intent of the ban)
as a way of getting the US Customs office to stop people exporting US versions
of software and selling it in countries where the local vendor was much more
expensive. 

The method was well published, anyone could implement it if they wished.
A DEC user in Australia wrote a version of DES that was submitted to the 
DECUS (DEC Users' group). It was put on their CD which then could not be
legally exported from the US.

Geoff.
-- 
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel gsm at mendelson.com  N3OWJ/4X1GM
New word I coined 12/13/09, "Sub-Wikipedia" adj, describing knowledge or
understanding, as in he has a sub-wikipedia understanding of the situation. 
i.e possessing less facts or information than can be found in the Wikipedia.