Ernst Mayer wrote:
>
> Some folks at an outfit called Meganet Corporation claim to have
> developed a rigorous primality prover that runs as fast a
> pseudoprime test.
[Lots of ad copy deleted]
> See their ballyhooing at http://www.meganet.com/primality.htm.
> I also note that near the bottom of the page, they make a statement that
> seems to indicate theirs is in fact a probable-prime test (issues of
> grammar aside):
>
> Meganet Corporation is seeking for companies
> interested in this algorithm which generates large
> industrial grade prime numbers at record speeds, and
> would be glad to demonstrate the technology to any
> interested party on request.
>
> Does anyone know more about the "400-year-old problem" they mention,
> which would allow us to better judge the likelihood that their method
> is rigorous? (I have my doubts.)
>
These folks have offered an interesting sounding cryptography program for
the last couple of years. The algorithm appears to be based on a single
very large prime (1E6 bits -- shared among all users???), and one or more
2048 bit numbers. They claim their algorithm is "unbreakable by design."
Doubtful. Computationally difficult is likely a better description.
Read http://www.meganet.com/intro.htm for some more wonderful items. I
never knew encryption was so sensual. They make a distinction between "a
computer used to send a secure massage and a computer used to receive a
secure massage." I think our cyber revolution has gone one step too far...
-Ethan
