Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!mtunx.att.COM!exptools%ihnp4%cbosgd%mtune From: exptools%ihnp4%cbosgd%mtune@mtunx.att.COM Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Terminating "short" numbers. Was:(Exchanges that look like area codes) Message-ID: <1004@aicchi.UUCP> Date: 1 May 88 15:40:33 GMT References: <8755@eleazar.Dartmouth.EDU> Sender: daemon@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU Reply-To: dbb@aicchi.UUCP (Burch) Organization: Analysts International Corp; Chicago Branch Lines: 26 Summary: The # key DOES have a use! Approved: telecom@xx.lcs.mit.edu >In article <1154@csuna.UUCP> abcscnge@csuna.UUCP (Scott "The Pseudo Hacker" Neugroschl) writes: >>The answer to this is the same as the answer to how they distinguish a >>one digit number starting with 0 :-) or, for those areas which still >>do not require any prefix (Maryland a few years ago, maybe still) and >>may need to deal with the new exchanges. They time out. If you reach >>one of the possible ends of a number (after 1 or 7 digits) and don't >>dial another digit within N seconds, it assumes you are done and goes >>ahead. Well, in the numbering plan, there is one other way to dial OPERATOR, or any other short number that is not terminated by filling max digits; the # key. The # key is usually called the "STOP" key, by the way. This is useful, because one can cut right through to the local operator (0-#) or your designated LD operator (0-0-#) or your carrier of choice operator (1-0-X-Y-Z-0-#) without waiting for the timer to trigger. Have Fun! -- -David B. (Ben) Burch Analysts International Corp. Chicago Branch (ihnp4!aicchi!dbb) "Argue for your limitations, and they are yours." - R. Bach