[Vinge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernor_Vinge) was a professor of mathematics and computer science. I'd expect him to get things right. Funny enough I don't remember that bit at all from fire upon the deep.
"Our main cargo is a one-time cryptographic pad. The source is Commercial Security at Sjandra Kei; the destination is the certificants' High colony. It was the usual arrangement: We're carrying a one-third xor of the pad. Independent shippers are carrying the others. At the destination, the three parts would be xor'd together. The result could supply a dozen worlds' crypto needs on the Net for --"
Because the book was written 2 years before it was discovered quantum computers had applications to cryptanalysis of RSA.
> But that's a miss, it's like one of those Neal Stephenson moments where the creator is using the right language […snip…] but they don't understand what's actually going on.
And to support the commenter who expressed surprise about that given Vernor Vinge is a mathematician. Clearly he does know what’s going on. And I think the fact you just posted supports this even more.
Anyways I have no horse in this race, haven’t read the book, just another internet pedant who saw something on HN that could be corrected.