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Code that helped end Apartheid

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358 points impish9208 | 2 comments | 18 Oct 24 13:05 UTC | HN request time: 0.41s | source
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rsynnott ◴[18 Oct 24 13:53 UTC] No.41879490[source]▶
You know it's _proper_ vintage crypto code because it uses the now very unfashionable word 'encipher'.
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quuxplusone ◴[18 Oct 24 14:46 UTC] No.41879923[source]▶
Funny but also thought-provoking! When did the verb "encipher" give way to "encrypt," and why? I might enjoy reading a well-researched piece on that subject.
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jgrahamc ◴[18 Oct 24 14:49 UTC] No.41879953[source]▶
I don't know why but here's when: https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=encipher%2Cenc...
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1. seanw444 ◴[18 Oct 24 15:03 UTC] No.41880067[source]▶
Wow. Apparently that's when AES and Triple DES were introduced, which can't be coincidental.
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2. kylecazar ◴[18 Oct 24 17:40 UTC] No.41881702[source]▶
Yeah... Data Encryption Standard published in the late '70s, and given its adoption, I assume solidified the use of 'encryption' in this context.