As the value of five-level code is that it is more compact than the 7-bit ASCII
code, it is important to minimize the number of times one has to use two
characters to do what ASCII can do with one.

So, upon reflection, I think I have not been bold enough in one area.

I now think that UC and LC should be swapped with CR and LF, thus relegating
carriage return and line feed to the figures shift, but giving two full five-bit
codes to UC and LC, as they are likely to be used frequently.

John Savard

On Tuesday, March 14, 2017 at 10:40:43 AM UTC-6, John Savard wrote:

I now think that UC and LC should be swapped with CR and LF, thus relegating
carriage return and line feed to the figures shift, but giving two full five-bit
codes to UC and LC, as they are likely to be used frequently.

But if I do that, then, while the code is now changed a great deal, since UC and
LC are shift codes, one of them can be given the 00000 code, and figures shift
can be returned to its original position.

John Savard

Upon drawing the diagram to illustrate the bottom of this web page

http://www.quadibloc.com/crypto/mi6133.htm

which describes some further thoughts on this matter, I realized that I had
miscounted the number of codes available, and had one less available code in
figures shift than I thought.

John Savard