TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: the pound sign From:Bev Parks <bparks -at- HUACHUCA-EMH1 -dot- ARMY -dot- MIL> Date:Fri, 11 Aug 1995 08:16:57 MST
Tommy Trussell wrote-->
> I believe "octothorpe" is the symbol on a telephone dial that looks similar
> to an asterisk (though it usually has a different number of points). I
> learned the term in graduate school, but cannot immediately find a print
> source to confirm the spelling and usage.
Yes, "octothorpe" or "octathorpe" (I'm not sure of the correct
spelling) does come from the world of telephony, but it is
another name for the pound sign, not the star, on the telephone.
> The pound sign is also called the number sign, and the difference is the
> placement. For example: #1 = "number one" and 3# = "three pounds"
I have most often heard it referred to as either a number sign
or a pound sign, equally. The most common use of it, by far, in
the US is as a number sign.
=*= Beverly Parks =*= bparks -at- huachuca-emh1 -dot- army -dot- mil =*=
=*= "These opinions are mine, not my employer's." =*=
=*= =*= =*=
