1944 Bletchley Park dictionary

It is a very touching document: The 1944 Bletchley Park Cryptographic Dictionary has been published.

For those who don't know what is the matter with this, I will explain. Bletchley park was the english place where the Enigma code had been broken by the doctor Turing's group of researchers during the World War II. Without this code break, the victory would probably not be able.
We are speaking about the very first hack, about the foundation of modern computing, and about the creation of modern cryptanalyze!

It is astonishing to discover the number of terms we use which are from this period.

They also came up with the idea of public key cryptography about four years before RSA Security IIRC (I had to do a presentation/essay on this about a month ago), but they never received the proper credit because at the time everything they did was classified information. I think such information becomes declassified automatically after 40 years in the UK, although sometimes it can stay under the Official Secrets Act for longer.

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Bletchley park was the english place

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Shame Hollywood didn't read this post before making U-571. (sorry, I have a real axe to grind about that film :p).

Agree about U-571, also the / our / my government ran Turing out of work after the war, as he was homosexual, and therefore a liability ?? in the cold war ??

edit : Turing cracked the Enigma by taking a WAG ( wild a--ed guess) that the first reel was alphabetical !!! and not in itself coded by displacement, thus bringing the numbers down from billions to only a few billion !!!! Have read books on this guy, he was definately a one off. turned me on to Cryptography, which in turn led me here.

For anyone who hasn't read "The Code Book" by Simon Singh, it has a really good section on turing, the enigma, and bletchley park. It's a great book. Also covers some very old concepts all the way into quantum cryptography.

public key cryptography was not thought up by Turing, or at Bletchly park, thats on the opposite side of the country to the true place where it was thought about, GCHQ, chelteham.

I forget his name but he thought of the idea while at home, he couldnt write anything down because he was banned from writing about work outside of work for security reasons.

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I think such information becomes declassified automatically after 40 years in the UK, although sometimes it can stay under the Official Secrets Act for longer.

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I know that for some cases its 70years, so pretty much life really ;)

As already stated Simon Singh's book is excellent, and its got allot about the british efforts, seen as its writen by a british author.

i2c

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Originally posted here by i2c
public key cryptography was not thought up by Turing, or at Bletchly park, thats on the opposite side of the country to the true place where it was thought about, GCHQ, chelteham.

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Argh, forgetful me, of course it was. His name's in the Code Book - unfortunately I've misplaced my copy at the moment so I can't clear up the matter. :)

The point I was making though was that people in that industry didn't get credit for what they did purely because of national security, which seems a shame but on the other hand you could see how the government justified it at the time.

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As already stated Simon Singh's book is excellent, and its got allot about the british efforts, seen as its writen by a british author.

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It's always nice to hear the story from an non-American point of view. :)

I believe it was cox that invented public-key crypto at gchq.

Another good read on this topic is Cryptonomicon, but some author I can't remember right now. It follows the lives of several world war II guys, and some of their children in present day.

Cryptonomicon is a great book written by Neal Stephenson.
This story is gripping and very humorous, without abandoning tech aspects.

Simon Singh also did a book, "The Science of Secrecy" Cryptography from earliest to Quantum. There was a comp in the book, crack ALL the code test papers and win large amounts of money. I fell by the wayside after the basic displacement and frequency types, ie: first two sections ???
Cryptonomicon IS a great read, class it as 'factual' ? lots of details, good story.
The first computer was also built in the UK during the war, (WWII) by a GPO engineer, quite an amazing tale on Brit TV a while back.

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The first computer was also built in the UK during the war, (WWII)

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except I'm going to be picky and say that the first recognised computer was actually the analytical engine dreamt up by Charles Babbage in the 1820's- in case anyone is interested Lord Byrons daughter Ada Lovelace was also involved in the project as the first proto programmer - the programming language ADA is named after her.

Z

[edited for spelling - daughter doesn't deserve a capital letter even if it was Lord Byrons daughter, /edit]

For Zonewalker, you are of course correct about Babbage, I was only saying about the first solid state computer. It was used by Turing to help speed up the de-coding, it took a lot of setting up, externally, and was also used by the WAAF's to dry their laundry, due to the large amounts of heat generated????

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Originally posted here by Zonewalker
except I'm going to be picky and say that the first recognised computer was actually the analytical engine dreamt up by Charles Babbage in the 1820's- in case anyone is interested Lord Byrons Daughter Ada Lovelace was also involved in the project as the first proto programmer - the programming language ADA is named after her.

Z

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Damn, I should have picked up on that, we did in our lectures only a few weeks ago. Unless that was one of the ones that I *cough* "missed". ;)

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I was only saying about the first solid state computer

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fair enuff foxyloxley - like I say just been picky :D

pwaring.... ahh yes the joys of "missing" lectures ;) how I so wish for those days again (still at least now I don't have to starve to afford beer) - enjoy it while you can mate! Have a good Xmas all

Z

I don't starve to afford beer - that's what my student load is for! ;)

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I don't starve to afford beer - that's what my student load is for!

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thats exactly my plan! except avoid the **** from aldi when you havent got the cash to buy proper stuff, also!! the tesco own brand larger is cheaper than buying bottled water....at 18p a can i think! And it actually tastes pretty good.

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I was only saying about the first solid state computer

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I could be picky and say its not strictly solid state!

merry xmas

i2c

Zonewalker> If we consider things on this point of view, we can say that the very first computer was the Blaise Pascal's calculator invented during the 17th century.
I guess that the programming language "Turbo Pascal" is named in reference to him.

I get the feeling that this thread is rapidly turning into the "Monty Python"-'What did the Romans do for us ?' So. Apart from Babbage and Pascal and 'not solid state' and Ada Lovelace, (wasn't she in some kind of film :D ) and the GPO. I can safely say: At Bletchley, there was definitely A computer,
Please leave me SOMETHING from this :)

Edit : I have DEFINITELY had too much of that Aldi lager !!!! And now you tell me there is beer CHEAPER than water !!!

Collossis, is i believe credited with being the first progamable computer. The most interesting thing that i have come across about it was that the Wafs and wrens that opperated it used to hang there laundry in the room to dry. Also it was run with code tape(a strip of thick paper with holes in) and that they used to run it up to 60 miles per hour. Thats the speed that the paper strip would run around it's cycle. Just think guys we could have all been arested 50 years ago for this thread.

By the way all the technology that was invented and used at that time, Lornze machines and the like was orderded to be destroyed ofter the war by Churchill, what a waist.

KissCool > oooh the gauntlet has been thrown down I can see that :D .... ok if you're going to be really picky.......

from this point of view I must argue that Wilhelm Schickard's 'calculating clock' made around 1624 predates Pascals calculator which I think was made sometime around 1640 :)

Of course you could argue that the first ever computer was an abacus - after all it does no more than a computer does - just a little bit slower (although I understand that after WWII there was some competition between a guy adding up stuff on an abacus and a computer - the guy with the abacus won!).

I guess it really depends upon where you draw the line and what we actually define as a computer - speaking for myself I tend to define a computer as something that uses a program to perform advanced calculations and has some kind of storage mechanism i.e. the analytical engine (which is the later version of the earlier difference engine - something I don't consider to be a computer). Defining a computer like this does mean that, whilst a hugely important step along the way, Pascals calculator is not a computer. I mean I don't wish to undermine Pascal's achievements because they are far more than I ever expect to achieve. Pascal did make some very important contributions to early computing I won't deny that (incidentally yes the Pascal programming language is named after him) - I just don't consider his invention to be a computer.

But there I guess we differ... so I'm quite happy to say ok we don't see eye to eye but thats cool. I can only hope I do something that would help change the world so much.

Anyway sorry for the O/T everyone....

Z

PS... Kisscool... Location: Gormenghast - like it


EDIT... ahhh clearly I blather on too much.... Foxyloxley... I am sorry we've turned your thread into a history lesson.... yes I can confirm there was a computer at Bletchley Park :D

To Zonewalker : the thread was started by kisscool, but I feel another "Monty" beginning, and therefore surrender, but thanx 4 confirming Bletchley's possession of A computer !!!

Zonewalker> Indeed, I was considering the possibility to raise the abacus case! :D Yes, I like to put some subjects until passing the nonsense line.

More seriously, I admit the validity (not absolute, don't dream please) of your point of view. The border is not easy to draw: We could say "neolithic age" about 17-18th century, and "modern age" after WW2.

foxyloxley > ahhh.... well I have had a few drinks tonight so... ok.... whats the airspeed velocity... j/k ;)

KissCool > well someone had to raise the bloody abacus case again and I could see it was just going to have to be me :D

I agree the border is not easy to draw so I'll go along with your neolithic and modern age idea... anyway I'm going to bed... have to do another family Xmas thing again in about 9 hours - but happily the Xmas treat of going to see the latest LOTR movie is also happening later ::biggrink

I dunno whether anyone else searched for it when they read the artcile, but if you wack colossus rebuild project into google theres some interesting information about the reconstruction of colossus by 1 man, financed by his own money, very interesting.

I understand colossus to be the first proper "re-programmable" computer, but programming was done by re-wiring the arrays of valves, ive never messed with valves but i know they get very hot, i reckon theres an oppurtunity there for overclocking and cooling colossus...

Very interesting this anglo-franco discussion, pretty rare that theres only a limited about of nationalitys in a discussion

i2c

The first ever stored program computer was the Manchester Mark 1 (the Baby) developed by Williams & Kilburn at the Department of Computer Science, Manchester University. I have all the notes related to the development and the Colossus is mentioned somewhere.

i2c> I agree with you: it's exceptional. Perhaps it is because Bletchley Park is not a well known name for americans.

I remembered the ABC computer suddenly, and even if I have not found the thread which speaks specifically about it, I found this post.