Re: Rewriting SSA. Is This A Chance For GNU/Linux?

On 4/6/25 1:38 PM, Richard Kettlewell wrote:

Stéphane CARPENTIER <sc@fiat-linux.fr> writes:

Le 06-04-2025, Farley Flud <ff@linux.rocks> a écrit :

On 06 Apr 2025 08:59:33 GMT, Stéphane CARPENTIER wrote:

Le 05-04-2025, Farley Flud <ff@linux.rocks> a écrit :

 

No, but we can move to quantum computing, which may become
a reality before too long.

>
I heard about that before I was born.

>
In the US, the NIST is already researching algorithms for "post-quantum
cryptography:"
>
https://csrc.nist.gov/projects/post-quantum-cryptography

>
Yes, the algorithms are farther away from the computers. Doesn't that
ring a bell?

 Not quite sure what the argument is here, but “already researching” is
severely behind the times. Multiple PQC algorithms are well past the
research stage, with finalized standards published in August and a
couple more on the way. Adaptation of higher-level standards (APIs, PKI,
etc) and adoption leading to deployment is well underway.
 

Quantum computing is definitely going to happen.

>
Yes, I know. Soon. Very soon. It's almost there. I heard that before I
was born.

 I’m not sure anyone thinks quantum computing is “almost there” in the
sense of e.g. a quantum computer big enough to break RSA existing this
year. However the risk is real enough to be worth actively mitigating,
both because we may not know when the first one is deployed and due to
the “harvest now, decrypt later” strategy.

   Ok ... WITHIN LIMITS ... quantum DOES work. It IS good
   for breaking some kinds of common encryption (there ARE
   now quantum-resistant crypto algos - but beware spook
   back-doors).
   Alas quantum is VERY iffy and errors are still a huge problem.
   That may NOT be totally solvable, given the indeterminacy
   issue in QM. Wonder if it's possible to leverage one
   kind of indeterminacy against another as compensation ?
   But, as a 'general solution' ... do NOT see quantum
   as a mainstream computing tech. Big corps will RENT
   it, for big $$$, to entities that CAN make good use
   of the technique. Is NOT gonna be running yer laptop
   or phone.
   SSA/IRS ... as said elsewhere, "Linux" is too all over
   the place now. A commercial Unix is the better OS base.
   That's what Apple did, and what Big G should do.
   The replacement CODE ... either Python or, horrors,
   a BASIC with a compiler. Easy, readable, fair base
   of experts. Buy one of those big black IBM mainframe
   clusters and PARTY ON.
   Note that Plan-9 was ported over to those ... and
   it's designed for big/distributed systems.