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Look, I understand this might become like the "hacker" debate, but can we please stop referring to blockchain and digital currencies with the term, "crypto"? We
by dsacco 9y ago
Look, I understand this might become like the "hacker" debate, but can we please stop referring to blockchain and digital currencies with the term, "crypto"? We're coming to the point where people refer to these currencies as "cryptos".
The cryptography of digital currencies is a very small portion of the entire field, and the term is being gradually co-opted to refer to that specific portion.
The reason I bring this up is because I find the choice in domain name unfortunate. You could have used something like blockchain.study. The more we have this term co-opted the more often we'll search crypto and have the engine spit out a bunch of cryptocurrency related results when we're not necessarily looking for those.
- grzm 9y ago> can we please stop referring to blockchain and digital currencies with the term, "crypto"? I'm afraid that train has left the station. Can anyone think of a situation where such a language reversal has occurred?
- ashaney 9y agoNot off the top of my head, but I think it qualifies as a synecdoche: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synecdoche https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synecdoche
- tylerhou 9y agoOther way around - synecdoche usually refers to a whole through a part (calling an entire ship by just saying stern, for example) but a part through a whole is usually called metonymy. Synecdoche is a subset of metonymy. Edit: the wikipedia article does mention that it can be a part through a whole. But this is at odds with my Classical background.
- lou1306 9y agoThe only one I can think of is "gay", but it evolved from an euphemism and not a compound word. Anyway, this is a worrying trend. People are also starting to use "Cyber" instead of "Cyber security", so.
- tuxxy 9y agoI concur. I have the keywords "cryptography" in my resume along with "NSA Suite-B Algorithms". The amount of blockchain and cryptocoin startups that contact me are absolutely insane. They immediately assume that because I have the word crypto somewhere in there that I am working exclusively at cryptocoin startups.
- bdcravens 9y agoEven bigger on my list of pet peeves regarding Bitcoin naming is using the term "bit" to refer to a fraction of a Bitcoin: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Units https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Units
- malikNF 9y agoAgreed, what if we come up with a short word for it and spread it around, use it amoung ourselves and it will automatically spread around. Something like CryptoC.