Am 2000-06-16 um 14:39 h hat Marco.Cimarosti@icl.com geschrieben:
> the German ligature "ß" [...] can also be spelled "ss"
> (this is just an alternate spelling in Germany, but it is mandatory in
> Switzerland), and is uppercased as "SS".

Almost correct ;-)

"ss" is an alternate spelling for "ß".
- In Switzerland, you are free to use it (it is NOT mandatory).
- Elsewhere, you may only use it if "ß" is not (technically) available
  (it is NOT an alternative spelling in the sense that you were free
  to use it at your discretion).
Cf. <http://www.ids-mannheim.de/grammis/reform/a2-3.html#25E2>.

Actually, Swiss newspapers, road-signs, advertissements, &c., generally
use the alternative spelling "ss", while books either spell "ss" or "ß",
depending on the issuers choice.

To prevent a possible misunderstanding: The 1996 spelling reform has
dropped a particular rule about "ß", resulting in some "ss" where "ß"
used to be, but still both "ss" and "ß" are used in German orthography.

Best wishes,
   Otto stolz