Crank is software that offers a graphical user interface toolkit, designed to simplify the process of breaking cryptosystems.
Installation of Crank is made easy thanks to a `configure' shell script that provides users with a set of default values for system-dependent variables used during compilation. This script will create a `Makefile' in each directory of the package, and may also create one or more `.h' files containing system-dependent definitions. The script generates a shell script `config.status' that can be used to recreate the current configuration, a file `config.cache' that saves results of tests to speed up reconfiguring, and a file `config.log' containing compiler output that can be useful for debugging. If any unusual steps need to be taken during compilation, users are encouraged to figure out how `configure' can check whether to implement them, and send diffs or instructions to the address given in the `README' so they can be reviewed for future releases.
A number of noteworthy updates have been included in the most recent release of Crank. Notably, a heuristic log window has been added, and heuristic hillclimbing now produces log messages. The main window now ghosts out better during heuristic, and icons have been placed in notebook headers. The component GUI no longer redraws everything after a rebuild_componant_gui() call, and heuristic components now pass out the fitness to improvement_found(), rather than let it be recalculated. Various improvements have been made to Crank's interface, including the conversion of all "floats" to "doubles", the addition of a heuristic_simulated_annealing function, and the inclusion of a 'default' field added to gui_generic.
Finally, Crank comes with Guile interface that has been introduced via SWIG, and dump_/instantiate_ parameters have been rewrote to produce scheme code. Patches have also been introduced to group together settings, making it easier for users to customize and fine-tune the software to meet their needs. Overall, Crank is a highly versatile and intuitive software that offers a wide range of features and functionalities designed to streamline the process of breaking cryptosystems.
Version 0.2.1: N/A