[openssl-dev] [openssl.org #3897] request: add BLAKE2 hash function (let's kill md5sum!)

[Zooko Wilcox-OHearn]

> All of these are good options in my opinion:
>
> BLAKE2b — widely used, very efficient on modern 64-bit Intel CPUs and
> on ARM chips with NEON, simpler than the "p" versions
>
> BLAKE2s — more efficient on 32-bit chips (e.g. ARMs) which do *not* have NEON
>
> BLAKE2sp, multithreaded — fastest option on my laptop today
>
> BLAKE2sp, singlethreaded — simpler than multithreading and compatible
> with faster implementations

I would suggest that we move ahead with the last option — the
reference implementation of BLAKE2sp. Reasons to choose that option:

1. Then we don't need to mess with compiling in the ASM code, adding
OpenMP support, or anything else for now.

2. It is compatible with faster versions in other tools or in future
versions of openssl.

3. BLAKE2sp (the OpenMP multithreaded version) is the fastest version
on my laptop today).

4. My crystal ball tells me that BLAKE2sp is going to turn out to be
the most efficient version for most uses in the long run, over the
coming decade, because it works well on tiny cheap devices and it also
works well on multicore systems. My crystal ball says that both of
those kinds of things are going to proliferate like locusts after the
rain.

Regards,

Zooko