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From: jpp@specialix.co.uk (John Pettitt)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.domains
Subject: Re: CS top-level domain and its impact on the UK?
Message-ID: <1990Aug8.071936.15894@specialix.co.uk>
Date: 8 Aug 90 07:19:36 GMT
References: <9008072016.AA15169@bel.isi.edu>
Distribution: inet
Organization: Specialix International, London
Lines: 35

postel@VENERA.ISI.EDU writes:
>Hi.  I agree with Peter Kirstein that there is a difficult debate about how
>to transition the British from UK to GB.

>There was some debate at the time that the proper choice was GB not UK,
>and the ISO-3166 standard was in place at the time.  At that time, the
>Internet authorities (being such nice folks) gave in and let the Brits
>have it their way.  

>The current mess may be a lesson about following the rules vs doing what
>is convenient.

It's all very well for people in the US to talk about this issue
but it's much more complex than it appears.     I know that the ISO
standard says GB but the accepted political meaning of GB is England
Wales and Scotland.  UK on the other hand includes Northern Ireland.
This has the makings of a fine political row, I can just see the
headline:

	"Americans exclude Northern Ireland from computer network"

You get the picture ?

Anyway what is all this standards BS from a country the still uses
gallons and can't even get the size of them right :-) :-) :-) :-)






-- 
John Pettitt, Specialix International, 
Email: jpp@specialix.com Tel +44 (0) 9323 54254 Fax +44 (0) 9323 52781
Disclaimer: Me, say that ?  Never, it's a forged posting !