[Babase] CADET

Karl O. Pinc babase@www.eco.princeton.edu
Mon, 4 Oct 2004 14:03:36 -0500


On 2004.10.04 10:30 Jeanne Altmann wrote:
> We just made a very frustrating discovery.  Like WRINKLE, apparently 
> CADET was initially classified as a female and then subsequently was 
> found to be a male but that information never made it into the 
> records in some overt way.

Perhaps the problem is that the names are not overtly 'gendered' as
you've run out due to the unique 3 char Sname policy.   I've no
clue what changing this would mean to the project, but it's
certainly possible to change things from the technical side.
I don't have all the pluses and minuses at hand re 3 char
Snames and so am not advocating alternatives, but consider
that you could, for instance, go to 5 chars, 3 alpha
followed by 2 numeric.  Perhaps with a policy that the 3
alpha not be reused while an individual is alive.  Or
something.

And of course there's language and culture -- I've
no clue if Omo is a female or male name so maybe this
is not the answer.

?

Karl <kop@meme.com>
Free Software:  "You don't pay back, you pay forward."
                  -- Robert A. Heinlein