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I don't have anything against bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general, but I wish the cryptocurrency community would stop trying to co-opt the term "crypto". I

I don't have anything against bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general, but I wish the cryptocurrency community would stop trying to co-opt the term "crypto". It's a well-established (understatement of the century) shorthand for the term "cryptography", that no honest cryptocurrency enthusiast can claim in good faith to be ignorant of, because cryptography provides the technological foundations on which all cryptocurrencies are built. Conflating these terms can cause undue confusion that breeds disdain for the very technology you're trying to promote. I, for one, was expecting to read an article on the history of cryptography as it evolved over the years when I clicked the link. Despite all this, I just wanted to say the article itself was an interesting read, but you're doing yourself and the cryptocurrency community a disservice by unwittingly pulling a bait and switch like this on so many potential readers. At the very least, please avoid using it as a shorthand in contexts intended for communication to those outside your community.

nerdponx 9y ago
Now you know how the machine learning people have been feeling for the last five years.
Walkman 9y ago
I clicked the title hoping to read something interesting about cryptography.
- nerdponx 9y ago
  "Crypto-powered" is the new "AI-powered".
cd0x23 9y ago
Exactly my feelings. This trend is also discrediting a scientific field. I've had multiple experiences where I was asked what I do at my job, I said I was working on crypto implementations and the person replied: "oh, be careful with crypto (referring to cryptocurrencies), I hear there are lot of scams going on."
lucb1e 9y ago
> I wish the cryptocurrency community would stop trying to co-opt the term "crypto". That's the first thing I thought when clicking the link and hitting back disappointedly. However, I don't think we can stop these kinds of changes. Like with the word hacker for "digital criminal", it'll just be an in-word to use (at the office (pentesting) we're all hackers; on HN we're all hackers) and for the media we'll have to think of something else. Big data is another such example. My first response to this kinda stuff is now to just think of what words I should start using instead of this, now that this is being misused. I don't have any good ideas, though, for the field of cryptography being anything other than crypto. Anyone else?
paulsutter 9y ago
I had the same reaction when IBM launched the IBM PC, and suddenly everyone used the term "PC" to refer solely to the IBM PC, and not "personal computer" which previously included Apple, Commodore, etc.. That was a losing battle. As much as it bothers me, if the media adopts "crypto" to refer to cryptocurrency, the population will follow, and the term will forevermore refer to cryptocurrency and not cryptography.
segmondy 9y ago
It's so annoying. I was working on something and had a cryptography question. I said crypto and everyone jumped up, then I said, not bitcoin and everyone moaned. Hey, we saw this with the term "hacker", unfortunately, I think cryptocurrency is going to win. :( There are more people interested in it that cryptography. When you think about it, who really owns a word or phrase? Society does. So if that's were society has moved on, so be it. Don't get too worked about it.
tveita 9y ago
Luckily both communities can peacefully coexist and use the term without confusion as long as they remain largely disjoint. :)

nerdponx 9y ago

Now you know how the machine learning people have been feeling for the last five years.

Walkman 9y ago

I clicked the title hoping to read something interesting about cryptography.

nerdponx 9y ago
"Crypto-powered" is the new "AI-powered".

cd0x23 9y ago

Exactly my feelings. This trend is also discrediting a scientific field. I've had multiple experiences where I was asked what I do at my job, I said I was working on crypto implementations and the person replied: "oh, be careful with crypto (referring to cryptocurrencies), I hear there are lot of scams going on."

lucb1e 9y ago

> I wish the cryptocurrency community would stop trying to co-opt the term "crypto". That's the first thing I thought when clicking the link and hitting back disappointedly. However, I don't think we can stop these kinds of changes. Like with the word hacker for "digital criminal", it'll just be an in-word to use (at the office (pentesting) we're all hackers; on HN we're all hackers) and for the media we'll have to think of something else. Big data is another such example. My first response to this kinda stuff is now to just think of what words I should start using instead of this, now that this is being misused. I don't have any good ideas, though, for the field of cryptography being anything other than crypto. Anyone else?

paulsutter 9y ago

I had the same reaction when IBM launched the IBM PC, and suddenly everyone used the term "PC" to refer solely to the IBM PC, and not "personal computer" which previously included Apple, Commodore, etc.. That was a losing battle. As much as it bothers me, if the media adopts "crypto" to refer to cryptocurrency, the population will follow, and the term will forevermore refer to cryptocurrency and not cryptography.

segmondy 9y ago

It's so annoying. I was working on something and had a cryptography question. I said crypto and everyone jumped up, then I said, not bitcoin and everyone moaned. Hey, we saw this with the term "hacker", unfortunately, I think cryptocurrency is going to win. :( There are more people interested in it that cryptography. When you think about it, who really owns a word or phrase? Society does. So if that's were society has moved on, so be it. Don't get too worked about it.

tveita 9y ago

Luckily both communities can peacefully coexist and use the term without confusion as long as they remain largely disjoint. :)