Re: :-) A Brand-New Language! :-)

[Wes Groleau <wwgrol@ftw.rsc.raytheon.com>]

> > Computer people always like to try to change common
> > usage in this way, but it won't work. The full
> > form
> >
> > April 3, 2000
> >
> > is still perfectly clear, and is actually the most
> > common usage in many countries. I do not think you
> > are about to change that :-)
> 
> Name, say, three countries not being anglosaxon that use this format.

Genealogists (including those in the U.S.) and military
(including those in the U.S.) prefer 3 April 2000, as do
folks in any non-English country I've dealt with--even Mexico.

Given this fact, I find it incredible that Lotus Notes has rather
spectacular and confusing failures when the _O.S._ is told to put
dates in European format.

> > The US 4/3/2000 is simply to be understood as short
> > hand for this longer form.
> 
> It is ambiguous in almost every continental European country I know.

Furthermore, when hand-written, it is easy for a hasty reader to confuse
'/' and '1'