Re: @ SCOS Message Format ?

On Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:55:41 +0000, Richard Heathfield wrote:

I did. I found no articles under your name in the current feed for that
group.
 
I have found nothing of the kind in that group.
 

Oh dear. Stephan found them. Perhaps your reader. ;)

they should start at:

Subject: Character Test
Message-ID: <vpeakb$cgsc$1@dont-email.me>

 
If your newsreader turns valid C into sad faces, your newsreader is
broken. Solution: download a newsreader that works.

Okay, but I've now used a couple of popular newsgroup readers, and with
default settings I don't see valid C code in the reader message display of
either. I don't see the original characters of the ciphertext. I have
programmed in C, but I don't at the moment (I should). The younger
participants in the National Cipher Challenge (some of who, from my
experience, are very very gifted) are generally using Python.

My concern is that if we get three new human readers of sci.crypt, keen to
learn, but relatively inexperienced, and as an introduction we post a
SCOS-encrypted ciphertext as a challenge, and then ask each how many
characters are there in the ciphertext, we will likely get three different
answers. At least two of those readers will not have a valid ciphertext
which they can decrypt. We have now presented a whole different challenge.
There are ways around it - tell them to get a new reader, or convert the
characters themselves, or validate the characters with a hash function,
but that isn't an easy and friendly introduction to cryptography. You
could, possibly do, argue that cryptography isn't and shouldn't be easy,
nor friendly, but we've given each individual a different challenge
dependant on their newsreader - there is little prospect for really useful
and valid support if individual human readers are looking at a different
problem.

 
I will not deny that I find it a little frustrating that you have
continually ignored my substantive point, which is that you are
attempting to fix the wrong software. But a reasonable man is open to
persuasion, and you do strike me as being a reasonable man, so I live in
hope.

Sorry for the frustration - I recognize I must be causing it and it pains
me. However, I feel I am speaking on behalf of the other new and less-
experienced readers and potential readers.

 
The fix is simple. Get a newsreader that doesn't mangle articles, not
least because much of what is posted here is source code, and an attempt
to change programming language syntax to indulge Pan's corrupting whim
is not likely to succeed.

Pan's and Thunderbird's whim... I'll think about it.

Thanks for the patience.

--
David Entwistle