Subject: RE: [idn] Prefix for testing AMC-Z implementations

From: "Shaw, Robert" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 21:40:41 +0200

> Greetings again. It appears that many folks have implemented the 
> AMC-Z ACE and want to test their implementations with each other, but 
> have been hampered because no prefix for testing has been announced. 
> I am not empowered to (only the WG chairs are), but in order to get 
> the WG moving forwards again, I propose that those folks with AMC-Z 
> implementations use the prefix "DZ--".
> 

Paul,

I saw some mention here of avoidance of ISO 3166 alpha-2 codes 
(the basis for ccTLDs) which seemed, a priori, especially 
considering the topic matter, a "good idea". DZ is the alpha-2 
code for Algeria*. There are some "clean reserved codes" which 
will never be used in ISO 3166 (if I remember right). I'll check 
into this and relay this back.

Bob

* http://www.din.de/gremien/nas/nabd/iso3166ma/codlstp1/en_listp1.html
--
Robert Shaw <[email-masked]>
ITU Internet Strategy and Policy Advisor
International Telecommunication Union <http://www.itu.int>
Place des Nations, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2001 01:31:41 EDT

In a message dated 2001-09-24 22:12:50 Pacific Daylight Time, 
[email-masked] writes:

> I don't see why this is an issue at all. Any two letters could mean
> something somewhere to someone. The fact that they happen to be country
> codes should be irrelevant.

I was going strictly by Robert's assumption that ISO 3166-1 codes were 
considered something to avoid.  If there is no harm in using them, then there 
is no harm in using them; but if there is (or if someone thinks there is), 
then the "good" codes are AA, QM to QZ, XA to XZ, and ZZ.

-Doug Ewell
 Fullerton, California