Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!sun-barr!texsun!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway From: mks!wheels@watmath.waterloo.edu (Gerry Wheeler) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Area Codes - a few comments Message-ID: Date: 15 May 89 17:38:47 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Organization: Mortice Kern Systems, Waterloo, Ont. Lines: 30 Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 165, message 8 of 10 In article , cmoore@brl.mil (VLD/VMB) writes: > [Moderator's Note: ... > ... But why can't numbers like 210-310-311-511 be used? Or numbers > like 410-510-710? They at least resemble area codes and would not be so > confusing to a phone user. PT] There have been several messages of late commenting on suitable area codes, and I think this is the second time the moderator has made this point. As a non-insider, I would estimate that 99% of telephone users have no preconceived notion of what an area code looks like. It is simply three digits. Heck, I didn't know there were restrictions on area code numbering until I started reading this group, and I used to work for the phone company! There were also previous messages about whether this area code or that should be assigned right next to some other area code that was similar. I don't think there is any difficulty with that from a user point of view. (I can't say whether there are technical reasons for avoiding it.) After all, one seldom knows what area codes adjoin the desired one, and if you misdial you get some wrong party -- it hardly matters if they are 100 or 10000 miles away from the party you intended to dial. Is there some inside reason why these points are important? I don't see them affecting how the ordinary user sees the phone system. -- Gerry Wheeler Phone: (519)884-2251 Mortice Kern Systems Inc. UUCP: uunet!watmath!mks!wheels 35 King St. North BIX: join mks Waterloo, Ontario N2J 2W9 CompuServe: 73260,1043