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RC5-72 Clients Available on distributed.net

Posted by michael on from the get-cracking dept.

Yoda2 writes "From the distributed.net site... 'The RC5-72 project is now officially up and running, as of 03-Dec-2002! You will need to download a new client in order to participate. Our FAQ-O-matic has been updated with the beginnings of a new RC5-72 section.' Also, there is a $10,000 prize for the winner, but as with the other RC5 projects, the owner of the computer that finds the key does not get all of the money."

9 of 174 comments (clear)

  1. Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's an outdated, unused cipher with a completely unused keysize. Do something useful, like protein folding or golomb rulers. (Not SETI@Home, I said useful ;-)

  2. This is a waste of time by TerryAtWork · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We KNOW it'll take a lot of computers a long time to crack the code.

    These cycles would be a lot better spent on something constructive like the protean folding project.

    --
    It's Christmas everyday with BitTorrent.
    1. Re:This is a waste of time by Wiz · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I've got to agree with this. I think RC5-64 proved the point it was very difficult to crack. Unless we get a new method of attack then it is going to take a /very/ long time. Or we all get G4s as they seem rather quick as this sort of thing!

      Personally, I gave up at the end of RC5-64 and I'm using Folding at Home instead. Should be more useful than RC5, and Seti too....

    2. Re:This is a waste of time by gid · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No doubt, idle computers use less power, and generate much less heat. I stopped running all of those programs once I found this out.

  3. What a waste of CPU cycles. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Come on people -- why waste the incredable amount of processing time this is going to require. There are much better uses for cycles -- from cancer research to finding unique, undiscovered numbers (primes, etc.)

    At some point, there's just no point...

  4. Re:Is this even worth it? by athakur999 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Especially since one of the goals of the project (from this page) was to show that the US policy dictating the maximum keysize was out of date. That policy has since been changed and there is AFAIK, no restriction on keylength anymore (but you still can't export to "bad" countries).

    The "Because it's fun" one is bizarre too. I'm sure it was fun writing the client and developing all the server side stuff. But if you just run the client in the background and get any excitement of that then you need to get out more ;)

    But, as always, it's their computers and if they want to run this contest more power to them.

    --
    "People that quote themselves in their signatures bother me" - athakur999
  5. Re:...we need (peaceful) war :) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The real question is, how do we get people like you talking with people who run projects like protein folding? I'm betting that if their project were properly managed (open sourced cores for all to improve, many platform availability for all the geeks who care about this sort of thing) and some hand optimizing work done, then their processing rate would go up tenfold.

    I really hope to see this some day, because I will move from d.net to cure for cancer when I believe that the medical software is making as efficient use of my processor as d.net is now.

  6. Because, my mom has cancer by enjo13 · · Score: 1, Insightful

    While it's probably to late to help her, why the hell can't you help save someone else?

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  7. Re:Is this even worth it? by TaliesinWI · · Score: 2, Insightful

    And, of course, that was when distributed.net was really the only game in town when it came to the whole "turn idle CPUs into something productive" thing. The prize money was probably a good incentive too. :)
    Now of course, we have SETI@Home, the various protein folding projects, all stuff that many people would argue is a "better" use of time.
    Plus, and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, wasn't the original point of the RC5 projects to show how weak limited-length keys were?