Is a stack source code?

[Dar Scott]

On Thursday, January 8, 2004, at 03:37 PM, Dave Cragg wrote:

> At 4:25 pm -0500 8/1/04, T. R. Ponn wrote:
>> Hmmmm...it sounds like you got of bed on the philosphical side this 
>> morning. :-)
>
> My guess would be a potential client just dumped a 185-page contract 
> on Dar's desk with the words "ownership", "copyright", and "source 
> code" scattered throughout. :)
>
> Which is it, Dar?

Both are good guesses, knowing me.  However, ...

Richard Gaskin wrote:
> Not sure how this press release got to MacTech before it got here, but 
> it's
> a great read:
...
>    The press, the public, and Revolution developers are invited
>    to stop by the Runtime Revolution booth for an early look at
>    new features, now in early development. These exciting new
>    capabilities include:
>
>    * Industrial-strength data encryption

(Note the double use of "early".)

Those of us in the US have some constraints in making cryptography 
material available, mostly because of some export restrictions.  Others 
might have similar constraints to various degrees.  This past year 
there has been a softening of the rules.  One exemption category 
involves "publicly available" source code on line.  One way to qualify 
is to be educational (and/or related to research).  Some of the 
non-exemption cases are streamlined, too.  I don't like the pain of 
dealing with all this, but it is easier than it was.  I'm still 
learning, so all I have said might be hogwash.  Anyway, in my daydream, 
whether I make cryptography products available or not, a first step 
might be a primer stack on cryptography and Revolution.  This would 
have some simple "obfuscation" functions, product key code, some other 
MD5 uses, and some shell commands using gnupg and/or openSSL and 
wipe/burn programs.  With the new features in _early_ development, some 
of these might become faster and would avoid file usage; they would 
directly use new commands and functions.  This might fit in with the 
primers I have on the back burner.  Depending on interest, I might do 
something with more substance.

So, in this daydream I might start on another project to not finish.

However, this might become applicable to the list.  As new Revolution 
features add new opportunity, use of the opportunity might involve some 
headaches.  Maybe we can learn from each other.  I'm learning from 
others.  This export regulations stuff doesn't fit into my head very 
well.

Dar Scott