Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!lll-winken!uunet!philmtl!ray
From: ray@philmtl.philips.ca (Raymond Dunn)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Pound sign (was Re: the Telephone Test)
Message-ID: <489@philmtl.philips.ca>
Date: 8 May 89 23:31:11 GMT
References: <630@marob.MASA.COM> <147@ixi.UUCP>
Reply-To: ray@philmtl.UUCP (Raymond Dunn)
Organization: Philips Electronics Ltd. -  St. Laurent  P.Q., Canada
Lines: 23

In article <147@ixi.UUCP> clive@ukc.ac.uk (Clive) writes:
 >
 >The character that looks like:
 >      #
 >is a "number" sign or a "hash" sign. It is NOT repeat NOT a pound sign.
 >A pound sign is what appears on a five pound note, and looks like:
 > etc.

Sorry Clive, but your culture is showing!  You can't blame this one on
US insensitivity etc etc.....

Sterling is not the only sort of "pounds", and the N. American naming of "#"
has nothing to do with monetary units!!

The fact that the pound sign appears on a US keyboard where the sterling symbol
appears on a British keyboard (shift-3) is purely coincidental and, although
adding wonderfully to the confusion, believe me or nay, has *nothing* to do
with it being called "pound"!
-- 
Ray Dunn.                    | UUCP: ..!uunet!philmtl!ray
Philips Electronics Ltd.     | TEL : (514) 744-8200  Ext: 2347
600 Dr Frederik Philips Blvd | FAX : (514) 744-6455
St Laurent. Quebec.  H4M 2S9 | TLX : 05-824090