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Security United Kingdom

Alan Turing Papers On Code Breaking Released By GCHQ 78

peetm writes "Two 70-year-old papers by Alan Turing on the theory of code breaking have been released by the government's communications headquarters, GCHQ. It is believed Turing wrote the papers while at Bletchley Park working on breaking German Enigma codes. A GCHQ mathematician said the fact that the contents had been restricted 'shows what a tremendous importance it has in the foundations of our subject.'"
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Alan Turing Papers On Code Breaking Released By GCHQ

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  • I can't find any links to the "released" papers. No fanfare on http://www.gchq.gov.uk/ [gchq.gov.uk].

    Anyone?

  • Alan Turing's Work (Score:5, Insightful)

    by alanmeyer ( 174278 ) on Thursday April 19, 2012 @06:31PM (#39740549)

    Alan Turing's work continues to demonstrate "what a tremendous importance it has in the foundations" of computing technology in general, not just crypto.

    • It's interesting this thread is 2 away from the Neal Stehpenson thread. Go read Cryptonomicon for a fictionalized account of Turing's efforts in WWII.

  • one wonders what else is there if they are only releasing these now ?

    regards

    John Jones

  • by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 19, 2012 @06:41PM (#39740657)

    I love how Turing articles never mention what the British did to him. Still makes me sick every time I think about it.

    This is how humans treat their best and brightest.

    • by _Shad0w_ ( 127912 ) on Thursday April 19, 2012 @11:51PM (#39742579)

      I'm British and I didn't do anything to him. I repeatedly point out what the British government of the time did to him - I don't care if he technically took his own life, the government killed him after all they did to him.

      It should be noted it wasn't just him they did it to, they did the same thing to lots of homosexual men. People just care/notice more about it with him because he did such high profile war work. I'm sure you can find examples of anonymous homosexual men who received similar treatment and served during the war in more routine capacities.

  • Genius recognition (Score:5, Insightful)

    by tomhath ( 637240 ) on Thursday April 19, 2012 @06:43PM (#39740675)

    "Alan Turing just had brilliant ideas way ahead of their time which were terribly important to the future of the world if you like," Mr Harper said.

    I kinda wish geniuses like Turing were rewarded as well as a second string shortstop or bench warming basketball player.

    • by Anonymous Coward

      ...then you probably won't want to hear about how he WAS treated.

    • by Anonymous Coward

      The first mistake of capitalism is to assume that the brightest people do it for money.

    • I kinda wish geniuses like Turing were rewarded as well as a second string shortstop or bench warming basketball player.

      Scary that I've hear this twice today in a dozen hours: I finally got to read my dead-tree copy of a two-month old Wired [wired.com] article. Near the last paragraph, it similarly states that the only genius still strongly encouraged in the USA is that of athletes. In salaries, willingness of the masters / trainers to routinely take risks to trade or acquire good and bad players / rookies... and finally, public sway. Because you can usually pick one or two of those pluses in real-life decisions like picking a career..

  • TPB (Score:4, Informative)

    by Tokolosh ( 1256448 ) on Thursday April 19, 2012 @09:11PM (#39741789)

    I am going to The Pirate Bay now. If the papers are not there, I shall be sorely disappointed.

  • I see a story but it's devoid of links. Does anybody know where the papers can be downloaded?

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • They aren't, you have to request hard copies from the National Archives. I dare say they'll end up making it available on-line at some point, they're bound to get inundated with requests for hard copies and it will end up being easier for them.

      I've no idea what their general policy with regards to digitizing old papers is - I wouldn't be surprised if there's an on-going project to digitize them, but I suspect some papers have higher priorities than others. It's also 6am and I'm still too asleep to look on

  • by joss ( 1346 ) on Friday April 20, 2012 @04:05AM (#39743725) Homepage

    They had to wait for the statue of limitations to run out otherwise he could have been posthumously deported to US for DMCA violations.

Heard that the next Space Shuttle is supposed to carry several Guernsey cows? It's gonna be the herd shot 'round the world.

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