From: Dennis Ranke <dennis.ranke@...>
Date: 2004-09-29T20:44:22+09:00
Subject: Re: [SOLUTION] The Solitaire Cipher (#1)

Here is my solution, just one Deck class, no guessing:

###

class Deck
   def initialize
     @deck = Array.new(54) {|i| i}
   end

   def create_keystream(count)
     stream = []
     count.times do
       letter = next_letter
       redo unless letter
       stream << letter
     end
     return stream
   end

   def next_letter
     ##
     # move the jokers
     ##

     2.times do |j|
       # find the joker
       index = @deck.index(52 + j)

       # remove it from the deck
       @deck.delete_at(index)

       # calculate new index
       index = ((index + j) % 53) + 1

       # insert the joker at that index
       @deck[index, 0] = 52 + j
     end

     ##
     # do the tripple cut
     ##

     # first find both jokers
     a = @deck.index(52)
     b = @deck.index(53)

     # sort the two indeces
     low, hi = [a, b].sort

     # get the lower and upper parts of the deck
     upper = @deck.slice!((hi + 1)..-1)
     lower = @deck.slice!(0, low)

     # swap them
     @deck = upper + @deck + lower

     ##
     # do the count cut
     ##

     # find out the number of cards to cut
     count = value_at(53)

     # remove them from the top of the deck
     cards = @deck.slice!(0, count)

     # reinsert them just above the lowest card
     @deck[-1, 0] = cards

     return letter_at(value_at(0))
   end

   def value_at(index)
     id = @deck[index]
     (id > 51) ? 53 : id + 1
   end

   def letter_at(index)
     id = @deck[index]
     (id > 51) ? nil : (id % 26) + 1
   end

   def to_s
     @deck.map {|v| (v > 51) ? (v + 13).chr : (v + 1).to_s}.join(' ')
   end
end

def encode(data, keystream)
   result = []
   data.size.times {|i| result << ((data[i] + keystream[i]) % 26)}
   return result
end

def decode(data, keystream)
   encode(data, keystream.map {|v| 26 - v})
end

def data_to_string(data)
   data = data.map {|v| (v + 65).chr}.join
   (0...(data.size / 5)).map {|i| data[i * 5, 5]}.join(' ')
end

if ARGV.size != 1
   puts "Usage: solitaire.rb MESSAGE"
   exit
end

data = ARGV[0].upcase.split(//).select {|c| c =~ /[A-Z]/}.map {|c| c[0] -  
65}
data += [?X - 65] * (4 - (data.size + 4) % 5)

deck = Deck.new
keystream = deck.create_keystream(data.size)

puts 'encoded:', data_to_string(encode(data, keystream))
puts 'decoded:', data_to_string(decode(data, keystream))

###

That was fun to code :)

-- 
exoticorn/farbrausch