Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jarthur!ucivax!gateway From: JPALME@qz.qz.se (Jacob Palme QZ) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.iso.x400 Subject: Order of fields in business card printed O/R-address format Message-ID: <670472*@MHS> Date: 28 Mar 91 10:27:43 GMT Lines: 19 Approved: usenet@ICS.UCI.EDU X400-Originator: MHSnews.distribution@uninett.no Content-Identifier: 670472 Autoforwarded: TRUE X400-Received: by mta pilot.cs.wisc.edu in /PRMD=Internet/ADMD= /C=us/; Relayed; Thu, 28 Mar 1991 04:24:06 +0000 X400-Received: by /PRMD=uninett/ADMD= /C=no/; Relayed; Thu, 28 Mar 1991 04:24:00 +0000 X400-Content-Type: P2-1984 (2) Conversion: Prohibited X400-MTS-Identifier: [/PRMD=uninett/ADMD= /C=no/;910328112400] A couple of weeks ago I got the question of the standards meeting in february on X.400/MOTIS development really intends to list the OU-s starting with the largest unit, but list all other attributes starting with the smallest unit, since this could be confusing to humans using the recommendation for "representation of o/r addresses for human usage". I have now checked the output document from the meeting, and, unfortunately, yes, the case is as described above. For example, a printed O/R-address might look like this: G=John;S=Smith;O=XYZ University;OU1=Computer division;OU2=Software unit;A=" ",C=SE Note however that the OU-s are numbered, OU1, OU2 etc. So the order in which they are given does not really convey any information, the subfields can be scrambled in any order without loss of information.