Edit-Distance computational attack idea

[Sam G]

On the other hand, the number of enciphering mechanisms is inherently limited

I don't see why it is inherently  limited. Enciphering is producing output by applying certain operators, rules or procedures to the input. Since a procedure can be a combination of procedures and, next, one can imagine infinity of combinations, therefore the number of enciphering mechanisms is inherently unlimited. It is much the same as the number of mathematical functions is unlimited.

Well it's not just one cipher but the entire class of ciphers (this proposed entropy-lowering kind) that I'm talking about, and general classes of ciphers are certainly more limited.  For instance, I mentioned RSA cryptography in my previous post, and it was invented twice (the first instance having been kept classified by British intelligence):

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

Yet somehow, the alleged cipher mechanism found in the VMS was only invented once, in the early 15th century, and nobody has ever been able to come up with anything like it since then.  I'd say that's substantially less likely than that it's simply a plaintext in some otherwise unknown language, given that there have surely been countless languages that once existed but died out without leaving any known record.