Suggestions for Encryption Algorithms and Languages?? [ I'm new at this ]

[Robert Blass]

I am looking to get my feet wet with encryption. When I say encryption
program I am talking about something to get me off to a quick start.
Something very simple, far less than the 40+ bit encryption code.

What I need is an easy to understand language choice. I've used BASIC
a long time ago but is there another language that is better and more
supported?

There seems to be hundreds of languages so it's hard for me to just
pick one.

I also wanted it to be a freeware or shareware programming language
with a compiler and maybe an editor that has colors and error
checking. I'll need it to be usable in a windows/xp environment.
Maybe a one that compiles into a self supportive EXE?

As I said I am just starting by trying to code a very simple
encryption program. If anything fits this bell then please give me
some information.

Thanks.

Message was cross-posted to the following Newsgroups in hopes of
getting more replies.
comp.lang.basic .powerbasic,com p.lang.misc,com p.lang.java,com p.lang.c++,comp .lang.c,comp.la ng.c.moderated

[Dan Stromberg]

Re: Suggestions for Encryption Algorithms and Languages?? [ I'mnew at this ]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:22:44 -0400, Robert Blass wrote:

I am looking to get my feet wet with encryption. When I say encryption
program I am talking about something to get me off to a quick start.
Something very simple, far less than the 40+ bit encryption code.

If you want to encrypt something, then eliminate any parts that are
always the same, compress it, -then- encrypt it via an established crypto
API.

The number of bits doesn't necessarily matter that much to the simplicity
of comprehending the algorithm.

If you want to design cryptography algorithms, take some classes, and
spend some time learning to break others' algorithms first. After you
know how to put an algorithm through the wringer, then you're ready to
design your own because you can form hypotheses and do well at knocking
over the bad ones.

If you want to implement an established algorithm, why? There are so
many implementations already.

What I need is an easy to understand language choice. I've used BASIC a
long time ago but is there another language that is better and more
supported?

Java's probably a fine choice, but for simplicity I'd go for Python. It
reads like the pseudocode many folks would write on a whiteboard.

Also, for cryptography, you could do worse than good old "bc".

There seems to be hundreds of languages so it's hard for me to just pick
one.
>
I also wanted it to be a freeware or shareware programming language with
a compiler and maybe an editor that has colors and error checking. I'll
need it to be usable in a windows/xp environment. Maybe a one that
compiles into a self supportive EXE?

Python can be frozen to an EXE. Java can be compiled to an executable
with gcj. There's a huge number of colorizing text editors available.