Re: should we ship linkable gmp/mpfr/mpc or hide them?

[Alistair Crooks <agc%pkgsrc.org@localhost>]

On Sat, Jul 16, 2011 at 09:59:13PM -0400, Mouse wrote:
> > I'd be much more interested in making a layer on top of
> > (public-domain) libtommath which could do both gmp and openssl-style
> > bignums.  I have started on this, but could do with some help.
> > Anyone interested?
> 
> I'm interested in anything that would let me get rid of libgmp, the one
> piece of non-public-domain code moussh really depends on aside from
> libc.  (It also uses libz, libXau, and libcrypt, but it is easy to
> build without them and only slightly impaired when so built.)

IKWYM.

On that note:

% echo /usr/pkgsrc/*/moussh 
echo: No match.
%

pkgsrc needs moussh.
 
> I was not previously aware of libtommath.  I'll be looking into it.
> The lack of CPU-specific assembly code is a _huge_ advantage to me; I
> have some sparc64 machines I haven't integrated into my house system
> because the libgmp version I have doesn't work on sparc64 and newer
> versions have looked like more headache than they're work - especially
> since I could use the failure as a goad to get me to replace libgmp.
> 
> Now it looks as though the hard work has been done for me. :)

libtommath is interesting, and you should also be aware of libtomcrypt,
which can sit on top of gmp, libtommath and something else I forget to
provide some of the higher-level crypto routines.

dropbear uses libtommath/libtomcrypt for its RSA/DSA needs.  I have an
external/ infrastructure for libtommath, and a WARNS=2 one for
libtomcrypt, as well as my embryonic libbignum.

Alan mentioned fgmp, which, as far as I'm aware, dates from the early
90s, and I'm not sure it's a serious contender.  It was written in
response to the ...ummmm ripemd fun from that time.  For more info,
please see:

        http://lwn.net/Articles/62446/

which has the title "Binary modules and derived works", and the
comment from Joe Buck.  Incidentally, this is one of the reasons I use
the BSD license in my code (I saw RMS giving a lecture on patents,
copyrights and interfaces for the LPF in Munich in 1991, and agreed
with that stance, and this grated so much).

Regards,
Alistair