Another plea for area-code as uucp domains

[mel at houxe.UUCP]

At Uniforum yesterday, the "powers that be" in the uucp world announced that
they were again undertaking to dictate "domains" for uucp.  The problem was
clearly presented: "In the next few years the number of uucp sites will
increase to many thousand, and the present naming scheme is too chancy to
prevent duplicate site names."  The domain is a prefix or suffix to the site
name to assure uniqueness by limiting the scope of the requirement for a
unique name to just within the domain.  Again, this was clearly presented:
"The domain is to the site name, as the area-code it to a telephone number." 
(Their words, not mine.)  My plea: "Please use the area-code for the uucp site
name domain."

The telephone area-code as a uucp domain has the following advantages:
A. It is well known and understood,
B. It is easily defined: the area-code domain of a site is the same
   as the telephone number area-code of the main CPU of the site,
C. It is easily punctuated (My mail address is: (201)houxe!mel ),
D. The area-code domain is sized by its population,
E. Every telephone book shows the domain locations and boundaries,
F. The area-code is limited to very few characters (just 3 in the
   US and Canada, 3 to 6 for other countries).

Thus, the area-code domain fits in fixed length fields in printed
directories, business cards, forms, etc.  It is easily parsed into
whatever routing scheme one can think up.  Any UNIX user can understand
it, and how to use it.  It has already proved itself in years of use
by millions of real human beings.

Countrys and states are no good as domains as they are too big.  Cities are
too numerous.  Company names are totally inappropriate; they aren't stable or
well enough known (remember ABI?  PARSEC?  CSO?) (who is close to UNISOURCE? 
NUVATEK?  ULTRIX?).  Zip codes are too numerous.  What else will do?
Area-codes  -or-  an inadequate, inappropriate compromise complexity from
some self-appointed central committee.    PLEASE choose area-codes !!
    Mel Haas  ,  (201)houxe!mel