h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Oh I thought it was finished; that's optimism for you! Should I include something like this?

Using codes is one of the two major ways of encrypting. This method replaces complete words or phrases by code words or numbers.

Using ciphers is the other major way of encrypting. This replaces individual letters by other numbers or letters.

This entry is all about ciphers, and not codes, since ciphers are the main way of secret writing.

As to the title, ciphers are vulnerable and remain so, hence they cause trouble.

We think that explains it perfectly, if you can add it in. Many thanks.

Done!

Brilliant, if people are happy we'll accept this now.

I am very happy with it

The headings 'Mono alphabetic Ciphers' and 'Poly alphabetic Cyphers' should at be hyphenated: Mono-alphabetic and Poly-alphabetic

Thanks h5.

Entry: The Trouble With Ciphers - A62394131
Author: Devonseaglass-dsg - U13965605

most common letters in plaintext are


----> plain text

All governments, in those days usually crowned heads of state, had their own cipher secretaries.

I'm sorry but I don't understand this sentence.

mono alphabets ----> mono-alphabets

one for one ----> one-for-one

Actually this whole paragraph is one sentence.

Cryptographers, aware that frequency analysis of mono alphabets (a simple one for one substitution of letters) was becoming very successful, tried other methods, including adding nulls, (using two-number combinations instead of letters, randomly mixed within the cipher text), misspelling the plain text before enciphering it, and mixing code words (representing a word by another word) within the cipher text.


Make it into two such as:

Cryptographers, aware that frequency analysis of mono-alphabets (a simple one-for-one substitution of letters) was becoming very successful, tried other methods. This including adding nulls, (using two-number combinations instead of letters, randomly mixed within the cipher text), misspelling the plain text before enciphering it, and mixing code words (representing a word by another word) within the cipher text.

do you explain somewhere what a 'null' is?

(I can see that you are online at the moment dsg so I'm half way through, and sending this now, to let you make any edits)

Lanza

cont'd

One of the earliest machines designed to encipher messages was originated by Leon Alberti, of Trevi fountain fame.

----> you've already mentioned this chap higher up the text, so

One of the earliest machines designed to encipher messages was originated by the aforementioned Leon Alberti.

The search was on for a one-way function that could be used to communicate the public key, along with a private key the recipient, and only the recipient had.

----> The search was on for a one-way function that could be used to communicate the public key, along with a private key [that] the recipient, and only the recipient[,] had.

I think this sentence needs an extra [that] and a comma where shown.

who invented it(Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, Leonard Adleman),

missing space before the first parenthesis


For the last 1,000 years[,] or so, people have relied on ciphers to shield their messages from the eyes of enemies[,] and friends alike.

take out these stray commas


They have usually come to regret that faith eventually, as cryptanalysts always seem able to find a way to decipher them, often using subterfuge, and insights into behaviour, as well as recognising human fraility in using otherwise secure ciphers.

I'm sorry I don't understand this sentence at all. Did you mean 'fate' rather than 'faith' - but even then I'm not following your meaning.

Add something like Take a look at. . .
before this link:

New Record in the Area of Prime Number Decomposition of Cryptographically Important Numbers.

co inventor ----> co-inventor

ps there are a few mono-alphabets that need hyphenating.

phew . . .

I think this is great stuff dsg. I've never understood how the Enigma machine worked until this explanation, so thanks! I've learned a great deal.

Thanks for your hard work Lanza; I have changed everything to your satisfaction, I hope.

you're very welcome my dear!

Lanza

Excellent work Deavonseaglass! Apologies for the slightly tardy response from our end here - we're a man down for three weeks, so we're taking a little longer to get round to things. Anyway, lovely Entry, well done, and we look forward to seeing this on the front page in due course

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've therefore moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

Nice work dsg!

Thanks, but I put it down to punctuation and the will to decipher the meaning of life! (Geddit?)

Well done, Dsg!

*hic*

It makes up for the lack of silky skills and deft touches. Not! Thanks Lil. Wimbledon next week, will be a welcome distraction from the footy.