Now we saw all the heat generated by Y2k, it's time to start using a time representation that's got a bit more mileage in it than the current 32 bits - like 64 bits.
Unix time overflow (signed or unsigned) may be some years away, but why wait, especially now that an ever-increasing amount of goods contains processing power.
Using 64-bit time, with the 2^63 pivot point (0x80...00) set at the current epoch of 1/1/1970, would allow a 64-bit time id for each second in human history: plus or minus 2.9 exp 11 years (if my arithmetic is correct).
Or perhaps the gurus think that our current concepts of timekeeping will become obsolete in the next 30 years: maybe a second is too granular....
(I am aware that VMS used 64-bit time, but that was nanoseconds, IIRC, and would run out far too soon!)
My gadget-happy collegue was ecstatic when he waved his Nokia Communicator near to a laptop running Windows 2000. The laptop reported that it had found a Luxury Mobile Phone.
Why does the US version (of a series) always seem to have a different name from the original edition?
The first book in the Pullman trilogy was released as "Northern Lights"; the first book in the Potter "heptalogy" (seven, if JKR sticks to her plan!) was released as "HP and the Philosopher's Stone".
Or were American mediaeval alchemists trying to discover the Sorcerer's Stone ?;-)
Not only that, but this paper (with its addendum) has been around for quite some time to my knowledge (and a comment in the HTML mentions May 2000) - so what's it doing here ?
I think that the text means:
(extra memory support, floating-point capabilities) increase the performance of (Web hosting, data warehousing and other applications)
No, it's "for computers based on Intel's 64-bit Itanium chip" hence it will only run on the Intel IA64 architecture. It seems unlikely that there is a 32-bit layer underneath, since Win64 does not fix up 64-bit alignment exceptions (any more) and hence would not run for very long!
The IA64 instruction set is completely different from the IA32 32-bit x86 set. AMD's 64-bit offering has backward compatibility with IA32, and hence would not run the IA64 code natively AFAIK.
However it would be nice to think that MS could just recompile with a different code generator option to target the AMD chip... <oink,flap>
Palm could simply supply an ESD protection 'dongle' for the PC's serial port with the Palm; it's surely the kind of thing that Radio Shack supplies for <~ USD 10.
I remember reading a science-fiction short story about an engineer who invented basically a 'free energy' device. (No doubt someone will supply the details.)
However, fearing retribution/elimination from Big Oil/Energy Corporations and Governments With Vested Interests, he did not attempt to publish or patent his discovery, although it would be for the common good of humanity.
Instead, he incorporated obfuscated and watered-down versions of the technology into consumer products where they would result in some respectable but unobtrusive energy savings.
He then worked to ensure that, over the years, these products became commodity items throughout the world, knowing that, with time, they would be reverse-engineered by various people, and eventually improved on until the original mechanism emerged into common knowledge and the public domain, throughout the developed and developing countries.
Do researchers need to resort to such tactics of stealth and obfuscation in order to indirectly "publish" their results - hide bits and pieces of the solution in various unconnected publications, until someone is able to piece the fragments together ?!
Re-key regularly AND use pseudo-random keys, rather than ASCII strings.
And on re-reading the paper, I found that the stream generator uses a packet key of IVk, in other words, it uses one of 2^64 or 2^128 cipher streams, not just 2^24 as suggested by Zeinfeld. (IMHO?)
The flaky IV generation could be handled by a software upgrade, I imagine. This would then spread the IVs out more evenly over the 2^24 number space, and reduce the probability of stream re-use. The IV size is still too low for very high traffic. But I don't know by how much improving the generation would increase the amount of traffic required for a crack - 2^24 ÷ 4 million ?
The cipher stream might be made less amenable to this attack by using RC4(cf(IVk)k), where cf() is some cryptographic function, possibly RC4 again, but you'd need to be an expert to sort this out!
This all goes to show that you should have your protocol design and key management audited by an independent expert in the field. A firm I worked with used to use Donald Davies. Sadly he died last year.
So? - how else do you propose changing passwords on a remote computer ?! Next you'll be suggesting that we store one-way-hashed password values in a file and use them to authenticate login passwords... ;-)
I thought Intel was earlier, with its "iAPX" names for the x86 processors, which they toyed with for a while... not to mention their iSBC, iRMX, and others.
Now, as for Compaq's obsession with ending names with a 'q'...
Why do so many of the posts seem to almost presume that MS intentionally sells defective s/w?
Anyone who has read (eg.) the Maguire/McConnell books should realise that MS probably makes as much or more effort than other s/w companies to write software well (unless disproved by some inside information...?!)
While stopping short of saying "let those without sin cast the first stone", I wonder how many of those rubbing their hands in glee at this latest MS problem actually follow best practice themselves in design, coding, peer-review and test of their own applications ? or open-source ones ?
Come on guys (m/f) - let's get professional.
Hate the bugs, certainly, but LEARN from experience - as I hope MS does.
Slashdot Mirror
Unix time overflow (signed or unsigned) may be some years away, but why wait, especially now that an ever-increasing amount of goods contains processing power.
Using 64-bit time, with the 2^63 pivot point (0x80...00) set at the current epoch of 1/1/1970, would allow a 64-bit time id for each second in human history: plus or minus 2.9 exp 11 years (if my arithmetic is correct).
Or perhaps the gurus think that our current concepts of timekeeping will become obsolete in the next 30 years: maybe a second is too granular ....
(I am aware that VMS used 64-bit time, but that was nanoseconds, IIRC, and would run out far too soon!)
My gadget-happy collegue was ecstatic when he waved his Nokia Communicator near to a laptop running Windows 2000.
The laptop reported that it had found a Luxury Mobile Phone.
What are the chances of that happening?
Why does the US version (of a series) always seem to have a different name from the original edition?
;-)
The first book in the Pullman trilogy was released as "Northern Lights"; the first book in the Potter "heptalogy" (seven, if JKR sticks to her plan!) was released as "HP and the Philosopher's Stone".
Or were American mediaeval alchemists trying to discover the Sorcerer's Stone ?
Come on !
This is Slashdot!
You're meant to understand stuff like this!
It's not even a new update to old news.
Linux, and IBM/SCO's AIX 5L (Monterey) have been running on IA64/Itanium for several months now.
Plus Java, if you must know.
(extra memory support, floating-point capabilities) increase the performance of (Web hosting, data warehousing and other applications)
Don't you ?
It seems unlikely that there is a 32-bit layer underneath, since Win64 does not fix up 64-bit alignment exceptions (any more) and hence would not run for very long!
The IA64 instruction set is completely different from the IA32 32-bit x86 set.
AMD's 64-bit offering has backward compatibility with IA32, and hence would not run the IA64 code natively AFAIK.
However it would be nice to think that MS could just recompile with a different code generator option to target the AMD chip ... <oink,flap>
Mind you, the date was supposed to be 2069.
Palm could simply supply an ESD protection 'dongle' for the PC's serial port with the Palm; it's surely the kind of thing that Radio Shack supplies for <~ USD 10.
However, fearing retribution/elimination from Big Oil/Energy Corporations and Governments With Vested Interests, he did not attempt to publish or patent his discovery, although it would be for the common good of humanity.
Instead, he incorporated obfuscated and watered-down versions of the technology into consumer products where they would result in some respectable but unobtrusive energy savings.
He then worked to ensure that, over the years, these products became commodity items throughout the world, knowing that, with time, they would be reverse-engineered by various people, and eventually improved on until the original mechanism emerged into common knowledge and the public domain, throughout the developed and developing countries.
Do researchers need to resort to such tactics of stealth and obfuscation in order to indirectly "publish" their results - hide bits and pieces of the solution in various unconnected publications, until someone is able to piece the fragments together ?!
And on re-reading the paper, I found that the stream generator uses a packet key of IVk, in other words, it uses one of 2^64 or 2^128 cipher streams, not just 2^24 as suggested by Zeinfeld. (IMHO?)
The flaky IV generation could be handled by a software upgrade, I imagine. This would then spread the IVs out more evenly over the 2^24 number space, and reduce the probability of stream re-use. The IV size is still too low for very high traffic. But I don't know by how much improving the generation would increase the amount of traffic required for a crack - 2^24 ÷ 4 million ?
The cipher stream might be made less amenable to this attack by using RC4(cf(IVk)k), where cf() is some cryptographic function, possibly RC4 again, but you'd need to be an expert to sort this out!
This all goes to show that you should have your protocol design and key management audited by an independent expert in the field. A firm I worked with used to use Donald Davies. Sadly he died last year.
I thought the only way to "legally" kill someone was in self-defence. ...
But then I know nothing of your American ways
So? - how else do you propose changing passwords on a remote computer ?!
Next you'll be suggesting that we store one-way-hashed password values in a file and use them to authenticate login passwords...
;-)
Note the reference to IPv6 in the article, however...embrace and extend, anyone?
That should be 0.99984437405678246306955025055121, you ought to be using radians, not degrees.
The equations are just our human attempts to understand the physics.
You are conflating the subject as taught in school with the subject matter itself.
But please don't 'subject' comments "You're all missing the point".
Not everyone might be. And it does the comment itself a dis-service.
... not to be confused with 'Micronet', the pioneering UK videotext system of the mid 80's, the popular 'internet' of its day ?!
I don't think he's advocating it himself!
not to mention their iSBC, iRMX, and others.
Now, as for Compaq's obsession with ending names with a 'q' ...
If you know nothing, say nothing.
What's peculiar about Gillian? ... for 'peculiar' read 'non-English' ...?
Don't forget Gerry!
FAB.
Anyone who has read (eg.) the Maguire/McConnell books should realise that MS probably makes as much or more effort than other s/w companies to write software well (unless disproved by some inside information ...?!)
While stopping short of saying "let those without sin cast the first stone", I wonder how many of those rubbing their hands in glee at this latest MS problem actually follow best practice themselves in design, coding, peer-review and test of their own applications ? or open-source ones ?
Come on guys (m/f) - let's get professional. Hate the bugs, certainly, but LEARN from experience - as I hope MS does.