Octal

[Tony Duell]

> Seven segment displays are also ergonomic disasters - the military
> found it is far easier to read a seven segment display incorrectly
> than just about every other method.

Does anyone else remmeber the 8 and 9 segment displays used by (IIRC) 
Sharp in the early 1970s. They were vacuum flourescnet, single digit to 
an envelope, made by Itron (IIRC). The segments were curved, and you got 
much more natural-looking digits than from a 7 segment straight-bar 
display. Of course the problem that 2 rapidly alternating digits can look 
like something totally different remains.

-tony