X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII X-Google-Thread: f996b,5330fc574593fea0 X-Google-Attributes: gidf996b,public From: spam_block@mymail.com Subject: Re: HOW Date: 1997/02/08 Message-ID: <32feeef8.10489866@nntp.netcruiser>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 215231103 references: <1Of00AAs4h9yEwO8@g-dav.demon.co.uk> <19970204052901.AAA17193@ladder01.news.aol.com> <32f93fe5.7843623@nntp.netcruiser> <5dddj4$q1i@orm.southern.co.nz> content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 organization: Netcom Canada x-netcom-date: Fri Feb 07 10:17:10 PM EST 1997 mime-version: 1.0 reply-to: spam_block@mymail.com newsgroups: alt.ascii-art On 6 Feb 1997 20:05:56 GMT, cfbd@southern.co.nz (Colin Douthwaite) wrote: >>>> � and � and � >>> > >>>Why not use them? They _are_ keys on the keyboard after all. > >>Because they are not ASCII standard characters and are therefore not >> >>Alan > > Some day, one day, someone, will write a FAQ explaining this >with such crystal clarity and simplicity that no one could possibly >fail to understand it. I have tried with my regular "WARNING" >posting but it clearly fails in its purpose. :-( > >I think I may try adding your paragraphs to the WARNING posting. I'm flattered. >I really _will_ have to try to rehash this damn thing to make it >crystal clear whilst keeping it short and precise. > >The Jorn Barger and Scarecrow FAQs do address these matters but >again the information seems to be ineffective in reaching >readers...assuming they even read all that stuff. The Ascii Art FAQs >have been criticised for being too long. I think it's a losing battle. There was a time way back in the misty dawn of personal computers that this was not an issue because about the only people buying them were doing so in order to learn what made them tick, and were digging into the internals. Now though, people want an appliance, and it never really occurs to many that all keyboard are not created equal - I mean, they all look much the same (within reason). I feel the need here to qualify that I am not saying that disparagingly. I think that the computer as an appliance is becoming more and more a very reasonable expectation. About the only way to really bring it home would be to supply everybody with a keyboard for a day that generates EBCDIC keycodes attached to an ASCII system, and let them loose on it. Maybe after typing nothing but gibberish for a while, they'd get the message. Alan My real address is alanp @ netcom.ca (without spaces) but I'm sick of email spam.