telecom@bu-cs.bu.edu (11/22/88)
{{{ Here is another one-message special issue of the }}}
{{{ TELECOM Digest. -chip }}}
[Moderator's Note: This is a just-for-fun special issue of the Digest
with a random sampling of the mail received pertaining to your favorite
touch-pad key and mine, the lowly octothorpe, or #. As is our custom,
we have even provided a rebuttal message from someone who says the #
is not known as an octothorpe at all....
Now can we get this out of our systems once and for all please? Let's
call it quits on the subject of #, by whatever name. P. Townson]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: larryl@nvuxr.UUCP (L Lang)
Subject: Re: Octothorpe source
Date: 22 Nov 88 15:36:53 GMT
Organization: Bell Communications Research
Lines: 24
In article <telecom-v08i0183m06@vector.UUCP>, ucla-an!bongo!julian@ee.UCLA.EDU (julian macassey) writes:
>
> I am looking for an authoritative reference for the term
> OCTOTHORPE.
>
> An octothorpe is an # , which is what is usually referred to
> as "the pound sign" or "the hash mark", sometimes as "the number
> symbol". I know the correct term is octothorpe, I have seen
> ...
> I do know that Octo means eight and Thorpe means beam. So the
> word has some roots.
> ...
> Julian Macassey, n6are julian@bongo voice (213) 653-4495
When I count "thorpes" (the beams or lines),
I only see four, two vertical and two horizontal.
Perhaps it should be called the QUADROTHORPE.
And does that make the * a TRITHORPE?
Cheers,
Larry Lang
To: comp-dcom-telecom@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU
From: desnoyer@Apple.COM (Peter Desnoyers)
Subject: Re: Octothorpe source
Date: 30 Nov 88 23:20:40 GMT
Just to provide another point of view:
from CCITT recommendation E.161 (Arrangement of Figures, Letters and
Symbols of Telephones and other Devices that can be used for Gaining
Access to a Telephone Network) as revised for the Blue Book:
3.2.2 Symbols
...
[drawings, with angle between horiz. and vert. strokes, length of
strokes, and length of protruding nubbies labelled alpha, b, and a
respectively]
in Europe alpha = 90 degrees with a/b = 0.08 (looks funny to a N.A.ican)
in North America alpha = 80 deg. with a/b = 0.18
...
The symbol will be known as the square or the most commonly used
equivalent term in other languages.*
*... alternate term (e.g. "number sign") may be necessary...
I suppose it's useful to have a translatable term. That approach
worked for "star", but it seems to have failed here. Does anyone refer
to '#' as a "square"? Anywhere? Enquiring minds want to know...
Peter Desnoyers
To: telecom@bu-cs.bu.edurom: erik@Morgan.COM (Erik T. Mueller)
Subject: Re: Octothorpe source
Date: 1 Dec 88 19:28:06 GMT
The term "octothorpe" appears in issues of the journal -Telesis- from
the mid to late 1970's published by Bell Northern Research. (Sorry,
I don't have the actual issue numbers handy right now...) I don't know
its origin, but vaguely recall reading somewhere that it was a
Canadian telephony term. As far as I know, the term is/was never used
by AT&T.
-Erik
To: comp-dcom-telecom@decwrl.dec.com
From: avsd!childers (Richard Childers)
Subject: Re: Octothorpe source
Date: 25 Nov 88 21:25:03 GMT
In article <telecom-v08i0183m06@vector.UUCP> ucla-an!bongo!julian@ee.UCLA.EDU (julian macassey) writes:
> I am looking for an authoritative reference for the term
>OCTOTHORPE. ... ( An octothorpe is an # ... )
Well, this isn't authoritative, it's intuitive, but I _think_ it refers
to the symbol as used on a complex organ's key, for a particular mode.
>Julian Macassey, n6are julian@bongo voice (213) 653-4495
-- richard
--
* Any excuse will serve a tyrant. -- Aesop *
* *
* ..{amdahl|decwrl|octopus|pyramid|ucbvax}!avsd.UUCP!childers@tycho *
* AMPEX Corporation - Audio-Visual Systems Division, R & D *
To: comp-dcom-telecom
From: seeger@beach.cis.ufl.edu (F. L. Charles Seeger III)
Subject: Re: Octothorpe source
Date: 1 Dec 88 15:42:09 GMT
In article <telecom-v08i0184m06@vector.UUCP> MYERSTON@KL.SRI.COM (HECTOR MYERSTON) writes:
|
| All my Bell System references call # The Number Sign (or Pound).
|The only times I see it called an Octothrope is in Northern Telecom Inc
|publications talking about Digipulse Dialing, "their name" for DTMF.
| The Japanese routinely call it a "Sharp". Obscure to me, logical
|to the musically inclined.
I usually refer to as "sharp", but may change to octothorpe -- I sometimes
like to tilt at windmills. What are the names of the other ASCII special
symbols? For instance, "&" is an ampersand and "*" an asterisk. Are
there any fancy (preferrably single word) names for the others? I.e names
not of the form "* [sign|mark|symbol]". Does anyone have a reference on
these things, probably a typography reference?
The terms that I use, about which I'm fairly confident:
~ tilde
() [left|right|open|close] parenthesis
[] [left|right|open|close] bracket
{} [left|right|open|close] brace
<> [left|right|open|close] carat
^ circumflex
_ underscore
. period
, comma
; semi-colon
: colon
What about the following: ? ! @ $ % / \ | + = - ` ' "
If I get responses by Email, I'll summarize in a couple of weeks.
Also, feel free to suggest a more appropriate newsgroup.
--
Charles Seeger 216 Larsen Hall
Electrical Engineering University of Florida
seeger@iec.ufl.edu Gainesville, FL 32611
[Moderator's inane comment: PUH-LEASE! write direct to Charlie on this; not
to me. I do not give an iota what those things are called! And now, here is
that rebuttal message...]
To: comp-dcom-telecom@rutgers.edu
From: ron@ron.rutgers.edu (Ron Natalie)
Subject: Re: Octothorpe
Date: 1 Dec 88 22:15:50 GMT
Nope, # is called pound because it is used as a symbol for
pounds (weight). I really expect the brits would put the
Pound Sterling where the $ is on a typewriter keyboards.
-Ron
[And there you have it. All the questions you were embarrassed to ask your
Mother Company all nicely summarized for you by the Octothorpe Digest people
in simple, easy to read format you would not be reluctant to share with your
own children when they are old enough to ask the name of that 'funny looking
key below the nine.'
In issue 191, distributed early Friday morning, news of the increase in
network access fees which took effect 12-1-88, and the correspondending
decrease in rates by AT&T, Sprint, and MCI.]