Sorry if, as a newcomer to this list, I am out of touch, but why not
PRONOUNCE and use the full names of the countires involved?? The 6-letter
codes are handy for databases or file names, but they do not communicate
very well. Especially if Namibia is WA and Botswana is BC! Country names
change a lot, I guess the FIPS codes do not, but then they are out of step
with the current names of countries. It does not take all that long to
type or say the Finland/Russia/Norway point. This same issue comes up in
birding, some birders like to use 4-letter codes for each bird species
when taking notes, but I object strenuously when they post notes to the
birding internet lists using these standardized yet obscure and arcane
short-hands. And sometimes get into arguments. But communication is more
important than brevity, and coded communication will turn off newbies and
inhibit communication with non-specialists.
David
dmark@...
On Sun, 11 Jun 2000, michael donner wrote:
> the iso diglyph list is looking pretty good at
> http://www.din.de/gremien/nas/nabd/iso3166ma/codlstp1/en_listp1.html
> & i would have just moved forward right away & adopted it out of hand
> except for a few drawbacks i have just realized it holds for me
>
> 1
> it has a substantially lower vowel to consonant ratio than the fips list
>
> & since these mostly 6 & 8letter names i am creating need to be utterable
> & since the iso vowel shortfall should square or cube the difficulty of iso
> pronunciation
> well that is a real setback
>
> for example the lovely & even sort of african sounding bcwazazi of fips
> becomes the bwnazmzw point in iso
>
> happily this orthographic disaster could be pronounced
> bwanas zoom zoo or bwanas mzoo
> pertinent & memorable observations for that particular locale
>
> but the real deficit is that bwnazmzw & the iso names as a class are bound
> to look & feel far more unspeakable & forbidding than the fips
>
>
> 2
> i would have to undo a lot of stuff already done & possibly also ask brian
> to revamp our multinational section at the corner corner
> all which is based on fips
>
>
> 3
> it seems as tho the fips roster is less fickle than the iso
> so a fips based naming system promises to be easier to maintain
>
> 4
> etc
>
> hmmm
>
>
>
> but wait
> why not simply make no basic changes & yet adopt both systems
>
> would that be so confusing
>
> as indexers we are almost bound to do it anyway
>
>
> & we will be forgiven for seeming too anglo or yankocentric when it is
> realized that the game was hatched & developed in north america as was
> inevitable where cool tripoints are so rampant & easy
>
>
> just thinking out loud while inviting your thought before proceeding
> m
>
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