Hacker News Reader

Comment by turminal | Hacker News Reader

I really wish people would stop calling cryptocurrency crypto. I bet lots of people are very unhappy when they hear "catastrophic crypto bug" or "crypto loophole" and it turns out its about cryptocoins.

View on HN

Ok, we've inserted currency into the title above.

The irony is that the crypto prefix in cryptocurrency refers to cryptography, which basically no one involved knows a damn thing about.

I’ll leave it at this Wikipedia excerpt: “Cryptosporidium, sometimes informally called crypto” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptosporidium

99% of people investing in cryptocurrencies have extremely limited knowledge of cryptography.

However, a lot of innovations in cryptography these days come from cryptocurrency world. Aggregated signatures, ZK applications, etc.

Language is an ever-shifting sand. Some years ago crypto meant cryptography, and "cryptocurrency" had to be used in full for people to understand. Now, positions have swapped. Cryptography is the one that needs to be spelled out in full.

Example: Camera & "Digital Camera" --> Camera & "Film Camera" -- which one was assumed was reversed.

Excellent example. My first thought when I hear the word "camera" is a bunch of sensors on the back of my phone... so maybe sands will shift again, and we'll have "dedicated camera".

The majority of people know "cryptocurrency" but not "cryptography" or "cryptozoology". Sorry.

A lot of cryptozoologists are very alarmed when they hear about a "massive crypto bug", thinking it's the return of Mothra.

Ship. Sailed.

Sadly, yes. But I hope it sinks.

"I really wish people would stop calling forced labour <Robots>". That's what you sound like.

Usage of words and language shifts and changes, get with it or go back learning growls and hissing to communicate.

I guess the same logic should be applied to housing and gentrification then.

Okay, define "crypto".

From Wikipedia: “Cryptosporidium, sometimes informally called crypto, is a genus of apicomplexan parasitic alveolates that can cause a respiratory and gastrointestinal illness (cryptosporidiosis) that primarily involves watery diarrhea (intestinal cryptosporidiosis) with or without a persistent cough..”

"hidden"

Which is much more appropriate for cryptography than it is for cryptocurrency.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com