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> And 5 years before Cryptonomicon there was Tim May's Cyphernomicon (which obviously inspired the title and theme of Stephenson's book). Actually, no, accordi
by losvedir 14y ago
> And 5 years before Cryptonomicon there was Tim May's Cyphernomicon (which obviously inspired the title and theme of Stephenson's book).
Actually, no, according to Stephenson. From the appendix of my copy of Cryptonomicon:
"It has been pointed out that the word "Cryptonomicon" bears obvious similarities to "Cyphernomicon," which is the title of a Cyperpunk FAQ document by Tim May. This leads to the question: am I committing some form of plagiarism, or rendering homage, or what? The answer, strangely enough, is niether. I was completely unaware of the existence of Tim May's Cyphernomicon at the time I came up with "Cryptonomicon."
- qengho 14y agoI read that too, and I don't want to doubt Stephenson's word, but it's very hard to believe that he hadn't run across Cyphernomicon or the Cypherpunks (hell, they were on the cover of Wired Issue #1.02) in researching crypto for Cryptonomicon. Maybe he forgot he did but the term stuck in his subconscious. Or maybe he really didn't do even basic research before coming up with the name? PS. Yes, I am the commenter previously known as anarky. No idea why that account got banned after a single comment.