Re: VMs: VMS provenance

["Jeff" <jeff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

By important historical document I mean that it relates to something solid
in historical terms. It gives us information we didn't have before.

Jeff

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jan" <hurychj@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <vms-list@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: 12 July 2004 16:39
Subject: Re: VMs: VMS provenance


> Hello Jeff,
>
> ======= you wrote: =======
>
> >I now have enough circumstantial evidence to say one of two things.
> >
> >1. Gordon Rugg is right in EVERY respect or
> >
> >2. The VMS is an important historical document.
>
> While points 1. and 2. appear to be mutually exclusive, the work on them
is not and the proof of the one (that is  the finding the solution!) would
actually eliminate the other one.   We may find out that the both  attempts
will reach the same target, that is the SOLUTION and only at the end we can
tell, if the result is 1. or 2.
>
> Let's define what we actually mean by a hoax: the encoded gibberish or
meaningful, but not too
> interesting text - or even the copy of valuable text - pretending to be
quite  old? The crucial question
> is: if the author created a hoax, what would he choose as his plaintext:
gibberish or sensible text? While
> the first is impossible to crack - you never know when you cracked it
:-) - the other is easier to encode
> (you just pick some book and fire away, being able in any time to spot the
mistakes).  On the  other
> hand, if you encode the gibberish and make a mistake, it does not matter
:-). Still, I would guess the
> author used some of his own text or research - for the sake of Mr. Rugg
himself.   I do consider
> Mr. Rugg's efforts rather interesting, however  he would never be able to
prove the plaintext was only a
> gibberish since one gets it  with any method of decoding, except one :-).
If however he  finds the  meaningful, however unimportant text underneath,
I would be content he proved his point.
>
> So I believe his work on cracking -  in substance - shouldn't be too
different from ours  and he should
> eventually reach the same end - the true solution. And whatever the
solution  is, it would not make the
> VM less important. So author fooled Rudolph or somebody else ( beats mne
why we considere
> gullible only Rudolph?) ;  that is  n ot the  popint. The ingenuity he put
it all together,  keeping so many
> people working on that mystery for so long, all that is enough for me to
tip my hat in admiration. I
> would even call it as important as any other artifact :-).
>
> Regards,
>
> Jan
>
>
>
>
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