🚀 go-pugleaf

In misc.metric-system Dr John Stockton <spam@merlyn.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> A personal standard is not necessarily a national or international one,
> and may have defects not obvious to its originator.

this statement is true
however i did not recommend a "personal standard"
but a "public standard"
http://www.adaic.org/standards/95rat/RAThtml/rat95-p2-3.html#3
which happens to be my personal taste as for many data processing experts.

> Hand-written, an underline might be mistaken for a minus sign, when in a
> numeric context.

this is a valid argument, although lightweight.

> Otherwise, an underline might well get "over-written" if the number as a
> whole is underlined.

this is a valid argument, too.

> In a carefully-typeset document, a thin space is a good thousands
> separator, and a raised dot or comma (not too small) would be a good
> decimal separator - but those are unsuitable as general-purpose
> standards.
> 
> There is the UK/US/etc.-&-computing standard, 1,234,567.89 ;

is widely accepted in the data processing world.

> there is the Continental standard, 1.234.567,89 ;

generates friction and should vanish, indeed.

> ISTM that two standards are more than enough, and that it would not be
> wise - or possible - to introduce a third general one.

disagree

-- 
--Peter Hermann(49)0711-685-3611 fax3758 ica2ph@csv.ica.uni-stuttgart.de
--Pfaffenwaldring 27 Raum 114, D-70569 Stuttgart Uni Computeranwendungen
--http://www.csv.ica.uni-stuttgart.de/homes/ph/
--Team Ada: "C'mon people let the world begin" (Paul McCartney)