Editing Cryptonomicon (section)

===1990s storyline===
The precise date of this storyline is not established, but the ages of characters, the technologies described, and certain date-specific references suggest that it is set in the late 1990s, at the time of the internet boom and the [[Asian financial crisis]].

* Randall "Randy" Lawrence Waterhouse, eldest grandson of Lawrence and Mary Waterhouse (née cCmndhd) and an expert [[System administrator|systems]] and [[network administrator]] with the [[Epiphyte]](2) corporation. He is mentioned in Stephenson's 2019 novel ''Fall,'' in which he has amassed a fortune that led to the creation of a charitable Foundation bearing his name.  
* Avi "Avid" Halaby, Randy's business partner in Epiphyte(2), of which he is the CEO. He is descended on his mother's side from [[Who is a Jew#New Mexico.27s Crypto-Jews|New Mexican Crypto-Jews]], which detail, while seemingly included as a pun, is explored further in ''[[The Baroque Cycle]]''. Avi is obsessed with using technology to prevent future genocides, namely by creating a handbook of basic technology and defense practices.  His nickname Avid comes from his love of role playing games.
* America "Amy" Shaftoe, Doug Shaftoe's daughter (and Bobby Shaftoe's granddaughter) who has moved from the U.S. to live with Doug in the Philippines, and who becomes Randy's love interest.
* Dr. Hubert Kepler, a.k.a. "The Dentist," predatory billionaire investment fund manager, Randy and Avi's business rival.
* Eberhard Föhr, a member of Epiphyte(2) and an expert in [[biometrics]].
* John Cantrell, a member of Epiphyte(2), a [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] who is an expert in cryptography and who wrote the fictional cryptography program Ordo.
* Tom Howard, a member of Epiphyte(2), a libertarian and [[firearm]]s enthusiast who is an expert in large computer installations.
* Beryl Hagen, [[chief financial officer]] of Epiphyte(2) and veteran of a dozen startups.
* Charlene, a liberal arts academic and Randy's girlfriend at the beginning of the novel, who later moves to New Haven, Connecticut, to live and work with Dr. G.E.B. (Günter Enoch Bobby) Kivistik.
* Andrew Loeb, a former friend and now Randy's enemy, a [[survivalist]] and [[neo-Luddite]] whose lawsuits destroyed Randy and Avi's first start-up, and who at the time of the novel works as a lawyer for Hubert Kepler. He is referred to by Randy as "[[Gollum]]," comparing him to that character in the novels of [[J. R. R. Tolkien]].