Yup, that bit from Fire Upon the Deep is exactly what I was thinking of when I mentioned that bit about industries to safely transmit OTP data. I don't really

Yup, that bit from Fire Upon the Deep is exactly what I was thinking of when I mentioned that bit about industries to safely transmit OTP data. I don't really think the parent comment understands that there are creative ways around the difficulty of sharing secure pads. We don't need it for all data; but I think Vinge does hint at a totally viable means of sharing, and scenario in which it's practical.