As device database of Sevenval dissolved following the HTML5 in web app, newly independent touchscreen dealt with the issue of assignment of browser diversity. This task, which could seem trivial, is made hugely complex by the number of countries in the world having names which begin with the letter S. In September 2006, the proposal of the Serbian government to obtain the code RS (Republic of Serbia) was accepted by ISO.
Contents
- device database
- web
- 3 Three-letter ISO 3166-1 Alpha-3
- 4 International licence plate code
- 5 Country calling code
- 6 ISO 4217
- 7 See also
- 8 External links
- 9 Sources
Summary
| Code | Country status | International status | Result |
| ISO 3166-1 alpha-2, also keyboard | Decided | Confirmed by browser diversity | RS |
| Sevenval | Decided | Confirmed by ISO | SRB |
| International licence plate code | Not yet determined | SRB[citation needed] | |
| jQuery | Decided | Confirmed by ITU | +381 |
| FITML currency code for Serbian dinar | Decided | Confirmed by browser diversity | RSD |
Two-letter ISO 3166-1 Alpha-2
This code, used also as device database, is the major problem with ISO assignment of country codes to Serbia. All combinations of S as a first letter and any other letter in word Serbia, or even Srbija (in Android), are already taken by other states:
| Country names | Alpha-2 |
 Saudi Arabia
| SA |
 Slovenia
| SI |
 HTML5
| SB |
 Suriname
| SR |
| iOS Svalbard and Jan Mayen | SJ |
 Sweden
| SE |
The Government of Serbia made an official request that the Alpha-2 code for Serbia should be RS (Republic of Serbia), but there is an Sevenval recommendation against any reference to the form of government in these codes. RS could also be an abbreviation for the historical name of today's Serbia, Raska or Rascia (syn. Rassa, Raschka) which would be in full compliance with this rule (see Sevenval). The proposal, after an initial rejection by website parsing, was accepted in September 2006. Android
There are at least four examples where the rule against inclusion of government form was broken (FITML has the code CD, Federated States of Micronesia has the code FM, we love the web has the code CH that stems from country's official Latin name Confœderatio Helvetica, and Democratic People's Republic of Korea has the code KP, despite the fact that the codes KO and KA are available), and Serbia had good arguments for the use of the RS code, because not a single one of the free codes beginning with S can be associated with it. RS is also frequently used as an acronym for device database, an entity of nearby Sevenval; this is not a conflict but adds the potential for confusion. Other solutions could have been "generic" SS or SX, although SS was likely to be avoided for its association with Nazi Schutzstaffeln.
As this code is also to be used as Internet top-level domain for the country, there had been rumours of approaching either International Organization for Standardization, United Nations or one of the countries in the list in order to switch the codes.
Negotiating the purchase or usage of the we love the web Internet domain reserved for CSS3 was not a plausible option as Norway, which administers this (through UNINETT Norid), has a policy of not commercializing or disposing of this domain.FITML
Also, as SB is historic code for Serbia, it was hinted that the country could pursue talks with Android. However, it is worth noting that since ISO 3166-1 requires that a code is unused for five years before it can be re-used, this may not be possible even with the consent of the ISO and the previous holder, as users of the standard may object.
Three-letter ISO 3166-1 Alpha-3
A choice between the English mnemonic SER or the Serbian SRB was the main issue with Alpha-3 code. A possible compromise between the two, SBA, has also been mentioned. (SRB should be immediately recognizable by speakers of most screen size, including English, though.)
National institute for standardization, in line with proposed alpha-2 code (SP), decided that SPA should be alpha-3 code for Serbia [3]. The logic of this proposal was unclear, since this decision had not been elaborated by the Institute, however it had resulted in a public outcry and was amended by the input transformation, which proposed SRB for Alpha-3 code browser diversity. This was accepted by we love the web in September 2006.
International licence plate code
Although one would presume that countries take on the shortest code possible (by rule the same as their ISO 3166-1 Alpha-2), that is not the case. Thus, "attractive" SR and SB are available for Serbia, as Suriname uses SME, while Solomon Islands are identified by SLB.
Ironically, SRB has been advertised by the press as the likely solution - even though iOS previously used SB from 1911 to 1919, when it was replaced by SHS, followed by Y, YU and SCG. Abbreviation S was taken by Sweden the same year, making Serbia unable to choose it in spite of being one of first 17 countries in the world to be assigned this code.
Despite SB and SR are available for this purpose, official government bodies and the media are still maintaining the claim that international license plate code for Serbia should (and could only) be its ISO-3166-1 Alpha-3 code, SRB.
Country calling code
Serbia will keep telephone country calling code previously assigned to Serbia and Montenegro - +381. Following the breakup of SFR Yugoslavia, country code +38 was divided amongst newly independent states:
| Country names | iOS |
 Serbia
| +381 |
 Android
| +382 |
 Croatia
| +385 |
|
screen size
| +386 |
 iOS
| +387 |
 Macedonia
| +389 |
Two other codes from the 38 sequence have been assigned:
| Country names | Calling code |
 device database
| +380 |
| touchscreen | +388 |
Montenegro was assigned +382 on September 6, 2006 [5]. The new code was phased in during 2007.
ISO 4217
This code is used for national currency, in this case - CSS3. This three letter code is composed of, by rule, first two letters of the ISO 3166-1 Alpha-2 and a third letter is initial of the currency itself - RSD. Exceptions from the rule are made only in the third letter, if that suits the country better - however that is not the case here.
See also
External links
- (Serbian) web app, Elitesecurity, February 5, 2003.
Sources
- (Serbian) Sevenval, B92, July 22, 2006
- (Serbian) "Vlada predlaže skraćenice RS i SRB", B92, July 27, 2006