Alice and Bob aren't just A and B. A and B are members of the category of "things"
Alice and Bob are members of the category of "communicating entities", and are also familiar names for human. Humans communicate, so choosing Alice and Bob makes an analogy that helps the learner remember that A and B are the communicating entities, not messages, or the encryption key, or anything else.
They are illustrative examples that help with visualization and connecting the theory to an interesting use-case, which taps into most humans' natural preference visualization, socialization, and relevance. They aren't patronizing, they are humanizing.
Do you also feel that speaking in English is a "patronizing" way to communicate, since everything you say could be expressed in mathematical symbols?
They are illustrative examples that help with visualization and connecting the theory to an interesting use-case, which taps into most humans' natural preference visualization, socialization, and relevance. They aren't patronizing, they are humanizing.
Do you also feel that speaking in English is a "patronizing" way to communicate, since everything you say could be expressed in mathematical symbols?