Subject: Question on ECML address country code usage

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 09:50:29 +0300

Hi alls,

I would like to know opinions on the coutnry code issue in ECML. Some tiem ago there was heated discussion onthe short comings of the ISO country code, but is there wider need for change in this field?

Also I wonder if the services actually use the country code? It would seem that as ECML is/was form fill tehcnology then services would have to support also freetext input as countru in address queries. I am aware of the usage of the selection lists (option list) for the country which usage 'quarantees' service understood spelling for country names, but do the services ever actually then use a code for the country? Is there need for this specific country code, are the services only storing whatever was given as country name to be used in addressing?

- Lauri Piikivi 
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Specialist, SW Architecture 
Nokia Mobile Software

[email-masked] 
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From: Eric Brunner-Williams in Portland Maine <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 06:53:30 -0400

Lauri,

There are about 550 national jurisdictions contained in, or surrounded by,
the United States. ISO 3166 (aka "country codes") provides few code points
for distinguishing code points in North America.

As a protocol design issue, using two octets to contain fewer than 300
distinct data values, and mandating failure, or implementation-specific
extension, for transactions taking place within the jurisdictions of Indian
(not India) governments (but not Pitcairn's Island or any of the other odd
bits in ISO 3166), is both untidy and an overspecification.

We aren't in the buisness of deciding what is a state.

We don't need to pay a great deal of attention to the claims of others who
are in that business. Very likely, their decisions are political, and not
technical, and of necessity, not correct.

It is a good thing that iso3166 code points aren't used in ip addrs. If they
were, even getting address allocations for Indian Country would be difficult.

Eric

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From: Steve Schear <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 07:40:56 -0700

>technical, and of necessity, not correct.

Going forward its also likely that private currencies, probably issued by 
corporations, and denominated by some sort of derivative will become a reality.

steve