Hey Han Dont lose your spirits. Here we are sending communications to banks and borrowers for euro conversion in 6 languages, English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic. As long as Arabs have oil, Russians have space technology, Chinese have economic muscle, their languages has to be respected. Spanish is slowly creeping in USA. The only thing to go to history will be non-SI along with its brother am/pm. Madan __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger http://phonecard.yahoo.com/
Yes, the decimal point might become the global standard because of the world wide use of English. I will not use the point in my own environment unless and until the ISO decides to ditch the decimal comma. There are threats involving English as a global language: Many digital clocks and watches default to am/pm, regardless where they are being sold. Those who do not want this Roman trash have to change the device, sometimes by pushing combinations of buttons. When the battery gives out and you have lost the manual, you are stuck with am/pm if the change involves pressing several little buttons. I had such a watch; changing the default was difficult and I lost the instructions. I have another electronic but not digital watch now, though, without (!) numbers! Ifp could ride in on the back of English. Just see those corrupted websites in metric countries. See also USMA 13972 and 13975 about a French travel and map site (I thought I was safe from I-P in Europe). I am going after that site. That Airbus site was certainly no pleasure to read. (USMA 14080). Also see USMA 13875 (With friends like these..) from Chris about a magazine published by the German energy company RWE and the English language brochure from the French Loire Region for tourists, which indulge in ifp goonery, just to make a good impression on English speaking people. They should get the Inch Perfect Award! Han ----- Original Message ----- From: "kilopascal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, 2001 June 30, 08:59 Subject: [USMA:14110] Re: Decimal point or decimal comma? 2001-06-30 But, isn't (wasn't) the British point not on the line as the American point is now, but at the vertical centre of the number? Something like: 3.14159? I think the hand-held calculator (not the PC) are all made with points, not commas. Even in countries that use commas. This coupled with the wide use of English world-wide might through a process of evolution cause the comma to be displaced by the point.
