MakeKey 1.0 build: 9639 released: 2012-12-25 compiled with: Java 1.8.0_131 Jet jet12.0-pro-x86/1.8.0_131

Generates true random numbers.

Copyright: (c) 2012-2017 Canadian Mind Products.

signed Java Applet (that can also be run as an application).
Download from: http://mindprod.com/products1.html#MAKEKEY
View HTML to run this program online at: http://mindprod.com/applet/makekey.html

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Notes:

You must install the Java JRE to use this program.
See http://mindprod.com/jgloss/jgloss/jre.html

This hybrid program is mainly designed to be used as an Applet in a
browser but is can also be used from the command prompt, e.g. under
Windows command.exe or JPSoft tcc.exe, formerly called the DOS box. Just
clicking the programs in a directory listing will not do anything useful.  
Just typing the program names at the command prompt will not either.

This program requires a manual install! See below.

I put out an avalanche of free software into the world, and submit PAD
files to hundreds of distribution sites, but I rarely hear back from
anyone.  What's happening?  Does it all just work fine?  It is so
complicated nobody can figure out how to use it and they give up on it?
It is it useful?  Since everyone has the source, do people just fix the
programs to their liking themselves?  Did you have trouble installing?  Do
I presume you know too much?  I would be happy to hear from you about your
experiences, positive or negative and your requests for improvements.  A
one-line email to roedy@mindprod.com would be great.

===> Free <===
Full source included.
You may even include the source code, modified or unmodified
in free/commercial open source/proprietary programs that you write and distribute.
May be used freely for any purpose but military.
For more details on this restriction, see
http://mindprod.com/contact/nonmil.html
If you include any Canadian Mind Products code in your own applications,
your app too must be labelled non-military use only.
http://mindprod.com/contact/nonmil.html
All Java jars and source code are included. If you need the class files or Javadoc, you will have to build them yourself. To streamline the zip downloads, class files and Javadoc have been removed.

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Prerequisites:

This program runs under any OS that supports Java,
(e.g.W2K/XP/W2003/Vista/W2008/W7-32/W7-64/W8-32/W8-64/Linux/LinuxARM/LinuxX86
/LinuxX64/Ubuntu/Solaris/SolarisSPARC/SolarisSPARC64/SolarisX86/SolarisX64/OSX/AIX...)
so long as you have
<><> Java version 1.8 <><> or later installed (32-bit or 64-bit Java).
See http://mindprod.com/jgloss/installingjava.html for details.

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Installing on a PC:

Download source and compiled jar files to run on your own machine as an application or Applet
First install a recent Java JDK or JVM.
See http://mindprod.com/jgloss/installingjava.html.
To install, extract the zip download with WinZip
(or similar unzip utility) into any directory you please,
often J:\ --  ticking off the <span class="click">use folder names</span> option.
To run as an application, type:
java.exe %JAVA_OPTIONS -ea -jar J:\com\mindprod\makekey\makekey.jar {put any parms here}

adjusting as necessary to account for where the jar file is.

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Installing on a MacIntosh:

Use Safari to download source and compiled jar files to run on your own machine as an application or Applet.
Safari will automatically unpack the zip into ~/Downloads (version 10.5)
[or on the Desktop (version 10.4 and earlier)].
First install a recent Java JDK or JVM.
See http://mindprod.com/jgloss/installingjava.html.
You may optionally move the download tree to a permanent home.
I don't have a MacIntosh, just a PC, so I can't test my Java programs for Mac compatibility.
In theory they should work without problems, but in practice that does not always happen.
If you have problems please, let me know, preferably with screenshots and complete verbatim error messages.
To run as an application, without parameters, just double click the jar file.

To run as an application with parameters, in bash shell type:
open Terminal.app
cd ~/Desktop
java.exe -ea -jar com/mindprod/makekey/makekey.jar {put any parms here}

adjusting as necessary to account for where the jar file is.

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Rebuilding:

The zip already contains the necessary jar files, so unless you modify
the program, there is no need to recompile the source or rebuild the jar.
Configure.java basedir="E:/" in rebuild.xml to the drive where your files are.
Configure.java your certificate name with environment SET cert=mindprodcert2017rsa
Configure.java your certificate password with environment SET jarsignerpassword=sesame
Use ANT and rebuild.xml, not build.xml, to recompile and recreate the jar.

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Use:

Generates true random numbers at a rate of about 16 bytes a second.
Why would you want to do that?
1. Use them for uncrackable encryption with one-time XOR pads.
2. Use them as unguessable passwords.
3. Use them for PIN numbers, lock combinations.
4. Use them in cryptography, e.g. generating private keys.
It works by you typing anything you please, and it measures the time between
keystrokes (and key releases) accurate to the nanosecond (billionth of a
second), then uses the low order 8 bits of those differences for the
entropy to generate a stream of random bytes.
The random bytes display as hex on the screen and are logged as binary
bytes an a file called random.pad in the current directory.
If you run it as an Applet, you must grant permission for it to be able to
log the random stream to your hard disk.  If you refuse permission, it
will just display the values on the screen.
Advantages:
1. free
2.  you can examine it to see how it works and to make sure the code is
doing nothing nefarious like sending a copy of your numbers to the CIA.
3. Can be run either as an Applet without installing, or an application with no network connection.
Disadvantages:
1. slow. Can only generate about 16 random bytes a second.
2. I have not done mathematical tests on the output to ensure they are the highest quality.
Specifying the file name.
By default the random bytes will be logged in file C:\temp\random.log
You can change that when running as an Applet with:
<param name="file" value="D:\temp\random.pad">
or if running as an application with:
makekey.jar "D:\temp\random.pad"
Pascal Version
Circa 1985 I released a version of MakeKey written in Pascal for DOS that
worked in a similar way.  It was bundled with Encode/Encrypt for preparing
files to send via primitive email systems that did not support binary
attachments and for doing XOR uncrackable encryption.
Learning More
See http://mindprod.com/jgloss/pseudorandom.html
for other techniques to generate true random numbers.
Why the coloured quilt logo?  It was generated by placing little squares
at random positions with random colours.


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Version History:

 1.0 2012-12-25 initial release.

-30-