plw@panda.UUCP (Pete Williamson) (09/19/85)
In my opinion, the RSA Method is a highly creative application of fundamental number theory properties that have been around since the 1750s. Messrs. Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman, spurred on by the Diffie and Hellman paper, have invented an elegant public key system. The patent is real. It is solid. It will likely hold up in court. I believe that the inventors DESERVE all the financial benefits that they can legally obtain (they hold the exclusive license). The technique is so powerful that it will undoubtably change the data security business forever, especially as computing power continues to advance in the next decade. The fact that the mathematics is straightforward in no way detracts from their invention. In my opinion, it enhances it. -- Pete Williamson "By hook or by crook, we will !!" ... #2