Talk:2691: Encryption

More generally, when the explanation of the encryption algorithm needs example people, it picks names going sequentially through the alphabet. Alice and Bob are the canonical first two, names starting with C and D would be next. Eve, the eavesdropper, is next. Barmar (talk) 04:01, 29 October 2022 (UTC)

...though it depends upon what other protagonists/required roles are to be featured in the scenario as to which initials get given to the 'normal' example correspondants. And I'm sure you could come up with other punny names for other novel roles, if you're in the position to require something special, only Alice and Bob being (normally!) inviolable as to both role and initialism. 172.70.91.58 09:43, 29 October 2022 (UTC)

Is this comic a subtle reference to Signal announcing the discontinuing of SMS/MMS support, thus vastly lowering the number of people that Signal users can send messages to? 172.70.114.205 09:10, 29 October 2022 (UTC)

I'd reckon you're also banned from the app if your name is Mallory, which might be inconvenient if you're James Bond's boss. Then again, that's Voldemort... IByte (talk) 10:36, 29 October 2022 (UTC)

This was hilarious. And it's the only app you should be able to install on the XKCD Phone, for obvious security reasons. Ralfoide (talk) 16:18, 29 October 2022 (UTC)

Reminds me of a notorious movie from 1969, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, a plot point of which is knowledge shared incompletely between the four. I believe the names are coincidental but, not knowing when Alice, Bob, Charles and Diana were first used, it may not be. Dhugot (talk) 18:16, 29 October 2022 (UTC)

... The naming convention appears to have started with the creators of the RSA algorithm.Dhugot (talk)

Since we know without question the name of the female character in this comic, does she join the list of other named characters for every other time we see someone with a similar hairstyle? Trimeta (talk) 02:58, 30 October 2022 (UTC)