Re: "number sign" in W3C Manual of Style

On Thu, 2006-08-10 at 10:24 -0700, Susan Lesch wrote:
> Dan Connolly wrote:
> > It's called "hash" often in discussions of URIs and web
> > architecture.
> 
> Thanks, updated to "usually not pound sign, hash, crosshatch or octothorpe but
> often hash in URIs and Web architecture." (Changes welcome.)

What's the basis for "usually not hash"?

It seems odd to present URIs and Web Architecture as an exception
in a W3C manual of style.

Google counts about 439,000 for "number sign" 
about 122,000 for "hash sign". Comparable.

The IETF draft standard does say "The number sign ("#") character"
http://www.gbiv.com/protocols/uri/rfc/rfc3986.html

I suggest 2 entries:

number sign (#)
        also hash sign; usually not pound sign, crosshatch or octothorpe

hash sign (#)
        also number sign; usually not pound sign, crosshatch or
        octothorpe

The alternative is to try to make "usually not hash" true,
i.e. get people to use it less; but that seems like pushing
water up hill, to me.

> http://www.w3.org/2001/06/manual/#Terms
> 
--

-- 
Dan Connolly, W3C http://www.w3.org/People/Connolly/
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