• VibeSurgeon@piefed.social
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    23 hours ago

    Probably unrelated to this, but ‘nonce’ is a concept in cryptography (not the cryptocurrency-kind), a number used only once in a cryptographic operation.

    Apart from the colloquial British use, that is.

    • outlawcarl@fedinsfw.app
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      12 hours ago

      Am from the UK and my mom would call anyone she didnt like on TV a nonce (turns out she had a high accuratarcy rate) so i grew up thinking it just meant stupid, which resulted in me calling myself a nonce when making a mistake at work to peoples shock and amusment.

    • brap@lemmy.world
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      22 hours ago

      Thank you for explaining, I only know nonce being used to refer to someone as a pedo so Noncefest certainly raised an eyebrow. I can only assume this guy was unaware of the meaning.

    • restingOface@quokk.au
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      14 hours ago

      cryptography (not the cryptocurrency-kind)

      This may be pedantic, but that is the cryptocurrency kind. The “crypto” in “cryptocurrency” literally comes from the term “cryptography”. It is currency that is secured by cryptographic functions.

      • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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        6 hours ago

        Cryptocurrency is cryptography, but cryptography isn’t cryptocurrency.

        There’s a good reason to note that a term that most uninformed people might assume is unrelated to a shitty thing people hate. Kind of like how a lot of shit we used to call AI has to be clarified as non-llm because the llms have become the initial connotation to AI.

      • VibeSurgeon@piefed.social
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        14 hours ago

        I’m well aware.

        Most cryptocurrency pushers are less interested in the underlying cryptographic fundamentals, however.

        Cryptography is undeniably cool. Cryptocurrency is undeniably not cool.

      • Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        12 hours ago

        Cryptocurrency uses cryptographics, the WEB uses cryptographics! Everone uses cryptographics.

        It’s a banana is a fruit moment.

    • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
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      20 hours ago

      nonce did used to be an English word too meaning “of/at the moment” or “for one purpose” so Number used Once is actually a backronym

      It derived from Middle English was “tō þen naness” which is roughly “best item for a purpose” literally, but is used to mean “something” or “disposable/temporary” in context.

    • 9point6@lemmy.world
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      21 hours ago

      As someone from the UK who works in software engineering, the combination of meanings is always hilarious

    • cybervseas@lemmy.world
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      22 hours ago

      thank you i had to look up the british slang now, as I could only think of the cryptographic association