in reply to Perl sources and crypt()
Yeah, this is an annoying aspect of the Win32 distribution of perl. Since the windows C/C++ API/libraries doesn't include fcrypt (from a shaky knowledge of what is there), presumably because it uses a different API for handling passwords (which is what crypt is for). So if you want it you need to download it from Sarathys (GSAR)'s site at ActiveState.1.And it is valid as of the writing of this post. As a catch all, the link is hosted in Canada so theres no trouble with the US feds.
And theres the point. There is no restriction on the distribution of crypt these days from what I know, its everywhere already. Every distribution of linux has it somewhere doesn't it? I think the perl position is a hangover of when the US had much more restrictive laws on the export of encryption technology. So I dont think there is any reason not to distribute fcrypt.c in win32 directory. Who knows, if you pester the P5P mailing list they might check with a lwayer and put it back in (assuming I'm correct). But, unless harassed and helped to do so (ie, documentation updates, legal opinions, repeated mails to the right people, Hugo's consent, etc) they won't bother, as it is so freely available elsewhere. Especially as Abigail-II so amusingly put it, many Win32 users of Perl wont have a C compiler. Or they would build the cygwin version instead and not have to worry about it. But for those of us with VC++ or Borland, its a touch annoying having to do the extra download. Especially if you forget. :-)
Anyway, nowadays there are better techniques available than crypt. Its there to keep the unix people happy. For the rest of us, (and even for the unix people most times) you can forget it and use something stronger. There are lots of good encryption packages available from CPAN.
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