Hacker News Reader

You can't prove the hash function is correct, no. But you can prove the hash function is implemented equivalently to its definition. That's what the article is about.

View on HN

That's true. But if you can't prove that your hash function has the desirable properties you expect/hope for, then I think that is important to acknowledge.

No, those are separate issues. There might be philosophical value on acknowledging the impossibility to prove the correctness of the algorithm, but it has little or no practical value when you want to prove if your implementation of the algorithm is correct.

Your argument is like saying that because there is no way to guarantee your physical product's design is 100% defect free, there is no point to implement quality controls in the manufacturing floor.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com