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Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Phone numbers
Message-ID: <4869@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 5-Jan-85 23:03:16 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.4869
Posted: Sat Jan  5 23:03:16 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 5-Jan-85 23:03:16 EST
References: <1452@ritcv.UUCP>, <1585@qubix.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 17

> ...   The international standard way of giving a North American
> phone number, using my company's number as an example, is "+1 408 292
> 4000".  

The original posting (way back when...) asked us if would please quote
phone numbers in the international-standard form rather than in the
parochial North American "(408)292-4000" form.  Unfortunately, the reason
(apart from ignorance and unconcern) why we use the parochial form is
simple:  most of our audience is in North America, and those people are
familiar with the North American form and quite unfamiliar with the
international standard.  The laudable goal of adhering to standards is
incompatible with the equally-laudable goal of presenting information in
the most understandable form.  Faced with such a choice of evils, most
of us opt for the familiar one.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry