For those who don't know what it's all about:
1. we solve a hard mathematical problem that some codes are based on
2. we win $5000
3. we give $4000 to the Free Software Foundation
and $500 to the two people who find the two halves of the solution.
That's it.
Here are some Web pages about the previous calculation.
http://www.certicom.ca/sixth.htm
http://pauillac.inria.fr/~harley/ecdl5/fsf.gif
Last time we had fast code for Alphas and slow code for everything
else. This time I've written reaonably fast code for all machines
that have some Unix-like O.S. (and even the Unix-isms can be removed
quite easily).
So I propose that everybody here join in as a team, called FoRK of course.
That means YOU! Lurkers too. No escapin' this time!
Your mission, if you accept it, is to commandeer every Linux PC,
Solaris workstation, whatever you can get your hands on. Remember:
it's easier to get forgiveness than permission, so start the program
first and ask later. =:-)
Details on what to do are here:
http://pauillac.inria.fr/~harley/ecdl6/
They're not in great shape yet - I'm working on it.
Please let me know of any problems so I can fix them before announcing
this thing to the public at large.
Good luck,
Rob.
PS: Yes, I do think the F.S.F. goes on pretty dumb crusades from time
to time (e.g., GNU/Linux) from time to time, but the bottom line
is "show me the code" and they've shown lots.
