One of the best replies I've ever read.

[roopurt18]

Taken from:

http://discuss.fogcreek.com/joelonsoftware/default.asp?cmd=show&ixPost=20478

 

Sarain H.

I follow you, but still, It's not a false premise in the US.

 

Translation to other cultures is easy: "Why *should* most man hole covers be circular?"

 

(Since they abviously should be! We Yanks did it right for once!)

 

Neil Butterworth

(Since they abviously should be! We Yanks did it right for once!)

 

Please remember that the UK is the country that is (or was) home to people that invented:

 

- the steam engine

- the computer (twice!)

- the jet engine

- antibiotics

 

and quite a lot of other useful stuff.

 

If such an inventive people decide that manhole covers should in general be rectangular then perhaps there is a good reason for them being thet shape. Perhaps a manhole designer might like to comment here?

 

Phileas T. Farnsworth, inventor of the manhole

"Perhaps a manhole designer might like to comment here?"

 

Thank you for the introduction. As the world's most preminent manhole designer, I must say that circular is definitely the way to go. We did exhaustive testing of square, rectangular, regular polygons, irregular polygons, stellated polygons, ovalloids, trapezoids and other shapes and round was always best.

 

But if you like, we can have others rehash all the reasons why here. I have to take the Steam Train to Philadelphia this evening and regret I can not participate, but I wish you best of luck with your thread hijacking.