From: ionsaliu@gmail.com   
      
   You might see nowadays guys on YouTube claiming that the setting "No letter   
   encrypts to itself" was a real weakness of the Enigma machines! NO, young   
   cuckoos! The non-self-encryption was a real strength of Enigma! You'll see   
   below real weaknesses of the    
   machine.   
      
   If just one letter encrypted to itself, look how easier it would be to   
   decipher. You only need a team of 26 experts. Expert A would deal with the   
   scenario A encrypts to A. Expert B would deal with the scenario B encrypts to   
   B... Expert Z would deal with    
   the scenario Z encrypts to Z. It is somehow easier to discover patterns.   
      
   If two letters had encrypted to themselves, it would have been even easier to   
   decipher... significantly easier. You only need a team of 26 ^ 25 = 650   
   experts. Expert 1 would deal with the scenario A encrypts to A; B encrypts to   
   B. Expert 2 would deal    
   with the scenario A encrypts to A, C encrypts to C... Expert 650 would deal   
   with the scenario Y encrypts to Y, Z encrypts to Z. Axiomatics, it would be   
   far easier to discover patterns!   
      
   If three or more letters had encrypted to themselves, encryption would have   
   been NO MORE! And, what happens if the restriction "No letter encrypts to   
   itself is enforced"? Well then, any number of keys could encrypt to   
   themselves! Quite certainly,    
   encryption would no longer be possible!   
      
   The worst drawback: an Enigma machine could be seized by the enemy... and   
   several Enigmas were, indeed, captured by the Western Allies, and the Polish   
   intelligence services even before World War II. Possessing a machine meant   
   possessing the rotors as    
   well, and the plugboards, and the 3 of 5 rotor arrangements schedules.   
      
   Read the full update:   
      
   •	https://saliu.com/bbs/messages/enigma-permutations.html   
   •	The best Enigma machine code generates thousands of encryption keys, then   
   selects permutations that do not repeat elements in the same positions as   
   originally.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)