Subject: Re: Numeric currency codes

From: Steve Schear <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 09 Sep 1999 09:13:31 -0700

At 03:40 AM 7/28/99 +0100, [email-masked] wrote:
>Yoshiaki asks ...
>
>> 7.7.4 Currency Amount Element
>> Could you register "ISO4217-N" on IANA also because this is used in
>> the SMILE Project?
>> 
>I'm wondering why since:
>*	we debated at some length earlier this year whether to go for alpha
>or numeric and concluded that alpha was to be preferred
>*	having just one type of code makes it easier to develop clients
>since there is no need to support (and keep up to date) both types
>*	since there is a one-to-one correspondence between the alpha and the
>numeric you can always map between the two
>
>... but on the other hand if there's a good reason ... Yoshiaki, can  you
>explain?

How about the likelyhood that should digital cash systems become
operational that there will be multiple issuers of governmental units, with
a need to descriminate between them due to risks. There is also the
possibility that digital cash in non-governmental units might be issued.

--Steve
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From: David Burdett <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 10:41:50 -0700

Steve

You ask ...

"How about the likelyhood that should digital cash systems become
operational that there will be multiple issuers of governmental units, with
a need to descriminate between them due to risks. There is also the
possibility that digital cash in non-governmental units might be issued."

If value in governmental units (e.g. dollars) are directly convertable from
one form to another, e.g. check, to notes to digital cash, then they should
have the same currency code since all you are altering is *how* you pay.

On the other hand if they are not directly convertible, e.g. loyalty points,
then you need to use a different currency code. IOTP already supports this
by specifying a CurrCodeType other than ISO4217-A as illustrated in the
defintion of the CurrencyAmount element below.

<!ELEMENT CurrencyAmount EMPTY >
<!ATTLIST CurrencyAmount
 ID                 ID      #REQUIRED
 Amount             CDATA   #REQUIRED
 CurrCodeType       NMTOKEN 'ISO4217-A'
 CurrCode           CDATA   #REQUIRED >

So, if a digital cash system wants to define their own currency they need to
define a CurrCodeType and register it with IANA.

Hope this helps.

David
PS Note new email address below ... I've moved from Mondex.

Advanced Technology, CommerceOne
1600 Riviera Ave, Suite 200, Walnut Creek, CA 94596, USA
Tel: +1 (925) 941 4422; Email: [email-masked]

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Schear [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Thursday, September 09, 1999 9:14 AM
To: [email-masked]; [email-masked];
[email-masked]
Subject: Re: Numeric currency codes

--Steve