Re: [gentoo-server] easy explanation of the strength of 3DES (and perhaps also IDEA)?

[Sri Gupta]

On Wed, Oct 27, 2004 at 10:24:58AM +0000, Martin Hajduch wrote:
> hi,
>
> >I don't get it. Does this mean, if I use IDEA over SSL to secure my
> >website which provide application services to end users, I must pay
> >for pattent? Or only mean if I wish to develop and *release* my
> >application using IDEA? In first case, I am myself an end user / web
> >content producer of IDEA, in the latter case, I am the software
> >vendor, not end user. Do I have to pay IDEA patent as end user?
>
> if you are end user, or you run your own website, you don't need to be
> concerned
> only if you would like to develop a new web server (for example) and use
> IDEA algorithm,
> it either has to be for non commercial purposes only, or you have to pay
>
> >>IDEA is faster (current implementation of IDEA are approx twice as
> >>fast as DES implementations)
> >
> >Do you mean IDEA is approx twice as fast as 3DES in case of SSL?
>
> unless you have some special hardware for these algorithms (which
> 'standard' PCs do not have),
> then yes IDEA is approx twice as fast then 3DES (in any case, including SSL)

This is what AES (Rijndael) is for.  IDEA is patented and proprietary.  AES is
just as fast, supports keylength up to 256 bit, and is wide open for
implementation because of its selection as the AES standard.  It's also
supported as an SSL cipher.

-Sri