krazy@claris.com (Jeff Erickson) (05/05/89)
> | | > --+--+-- > | | > --+--+-- > | | > is a "number" sign or a "hash" sign. It is NOT repeat NOT a pound sign. > A pound sign is what appears on a five pound note, and looks like: > -- > / > ---+--- > ---+--- > / > ------- > (or some more ornate version). How would you like it if I kept saying: > dollar include stood eye oh dot aitch? Since starting a survey of non-alphanumeric pronunciations on misc.misc, I have received five pieces of mail chastising, nay, CONDEMNING me for the use of "pound" to describe the ASCII character that looks like an unstarted game of tictactoe. The "pound" pronunciation refers to the unit of weight, not the unit of British currecy [which I usually refer to as "pound sterling" or just "sterling" to avoid confusion :-)]. At one time, a box labeled "1000#" supposedly weighed half a ton. I've never in my life seen a five pound note, and I'm sure I wouldn't want to carry one around in my wallet. Most American money masses no more than a couple of grams, yet the American dollar is worth more than a pound. This leads me to believe that Great Britain is actually a neutron star imbedded in the North Atlantic. Or perhaps it's the density of Britain's inhabitants. :-) You weren't confused. You know what Americans (those quaint colonials with the odd accent) mean when they say "pound". No currency symbols of any kind are used in the definition of the C language. ($ is a legal character in identifiers in some compilers, but not according to K&R2.) A modicum of thought is all that is required to understand, and you obviously have the talent for producing (or at least procuring) such modica. The purpose of terminology of any sort is to effectively pass on information. Since you KNOW what "pound" refers to in this context, the term serves its purpose admirably. Thank you and good day. -- Jeff Erickson Claris Corporation | Birdie, birdie, in the sky, 408/987-7309 Applelink: Erickson4 | Why'd you do that in my eye? krazy@claris.com ames!claris!krazy | I won't fret, and I won't cry. "I'm a heppy, heppy ket!" | I'm just glad that cows don't fly.
ghe@nucthy.physics.orst.edu (Guangliang He) (05/05/89)
I have seen some place call '#' a sharp sign.
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***********************************************************************gdtltr@vax1.acs.udel.EDU (Gary D Duzan) (05/05/89)
In article <10391@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU> ghe@nucthy.PHYSICS.ORST.EDU (Guangliang He) writes: =>I have seen some place call '#' a sharp sign. That would probably be in something musical. It does, however, sometimes creep into other stuff. I once saw something in a Calculus book that used X# and Xb to specify something close to X but slightly higher/lower, respectively (though I don't remember it that well.) Gary Duzan Time Lord Third Regeneration Bass Vocalist -- +------------------------------------------+ UUCP: !uunet!udel.edu!vax1!gdtltr | "Two hearts are better than one." -- Yes | Internet: gdtltr@vax1.acs.udel.edu | "Don't listen to me; I never do." -- Doctor Who | Other: Relay through CUNYVM +-------------------------------------------------+ or something.
tjr@cbnewsc.ATT.COM (thomas.j.roberts) (05/05/89)
From article <10069@claris.com>, by krazy@claris.com (Jeff Erickson): >> | | >> --+--+-- >> | | >> --+--+-- >> | | >> is a "number" sign or a "hash" sign. It is NOT repeat NOT a pound sign. Don't forget those people (often old-time telephony experts) who call this character "octothorpe" (as on the lower-right corner of a touch-tone(R) keypad)? Tom Roberts att!ihnet!tjr
ark@alice.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) (05/05/89)
In article <10069@claris.com>, krazy@claris.com (Jeff Erickson) writes:
--> | |
--> --+--+--
--> | |
--> --+--+--
--> | |
--> is a "number" sign or a "hash" sign. It is NOT repeat NOT a pound sign.
--> A pound sign is what appears on a five pound note, and looks like:
It's a sharp sign. Can't you read music?
--
--Andrew Koenig
ark@europa.att.comked@garnet.berkeley.edu (Earl H. Kinmonth) (05/05/89)
>a couple of grams, yet the American dollar is worth more than a pound. This
I don't have my Wall Street Journal handy, but for the last few months
it has generally taken something around 1.92 US dollars to buy one
British pound. Maybe computer types learn a different sort of math from
what historians study, but it would seem to me that at the current
exchange rate one Yankee buck is worth quite a bit less than one Brit
pound.
Neither one has anything like the purchasing power of the Yen.
Earl H. Kinmonth
History Department
University of California, Davis
916-752-1636 (voice, fax [2300-0800 PDT])
916-752-0776 secretary
ucbvax!ucdavis!ucdked!cckbph@buengc.BU.EDU (Blair P. Houghton) (05/06/89)
In article <9308@alice.UUCP> ark@alice.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) writes: >In article <10069@claris.com>, krazy@claris.com (Jeff Erickson) writes: > >--> | | >--> --+--+-- >--> |><| >--> --+--+-- >--> | | >--> >--> is a "number" sign or a "hash" sign. It is NOT repeat NOT a pound sign. > >It's a sharp sign. Can't you read music? >-- > --Andrew Koenig Your move, Andy. --Blair "I'll getcha this time..."