🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Sep6.094022.28262@uwm.edu> markh@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Mark) writes:
>(4) If it's described in English, is it regarded as software?  English is
>    executable under a suitably designed specialized natural language
>    interpreter.

When we really have compilers capable of executing free-form English, the
government may adjust their notion of the distinction between software and
human-oriented description.  Since the description of DES *is* in a public
domain document (a US FIPS), it's clearly not considered to be a software
implementation that is subject to export restrictions.

In answer to the other posting about US citizens being the only people able
to turn descriptions into implementations, that's not the issue.  The
government doesn't want us to facilitate the creation of munitions by our
enemies (encryption devices are considered to be weapons -- remember, the
development of computers was catalyzed by the use of encryption during
WWII), and selling working implementations of DES is considered
facilitation.  There are also published articles that detail how to build
bombs, yet the government also controls their export as well.

Of course, these days encryption is more useful for commercial uses than
military, and the government is shooting the economy in the foot by
restricting its sales.
-- 
Barry Margolin
System Manager, Thinking Machines Corp.

barmar@think.com          {uunet,harvard}!think!barmar