Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!ucsd!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!cae780!leadsv!laic!nova!darin
From: darin@nova.laic.uucp (Darin Johnson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Interesting stuff on character names
Message-ID: <326@laic.UUCP>
Date: 19 Aug 88 00:33:20 GMT
References: <3746@louie.udel.EDU>
Sender: news@laic.UUCP
Lines: 19

> "#" is "sharpsign" (esp. to Common Lisp hackers), or "gridlet" (a name
> bestowed by a contest conducted by All Things Considered a while back),
> but please, not "pound" or "pound sign". A pound sign is a cursive L with
> a line through it, which I obviously can't enter here but shows up on certain
> IBM 3270-type terminals for hex 43.

Actually, I have seen this used before to denote pound weight, not pounds
sterling (this was in NON-computer-related articles before 1970).  In fact,
other than being an abbreviation for weight, I can't think of any reason it
would be on a typewriter (pre-computer typewriters anyway).

Of course, the whole point isn't to get the names right, the point is to
make the person you are talking to on the phone understand what key you
are talking about.  (Of course, "Amiga" is the proper name for my computer,
but if there are Spanish speakers around, I would rather say "I left my
computer locked up at home" :-)

Darin Johnson (...pyramid.arpa!leadsv!laic!darin)
              (...ucbvax!sun!sunncal!leadsv!laic!darin)
	"All aboard the DOOMED express!"