At the present time, the differentiation between the number 0 and the capital letter O is that the number zero has more of an oval shape: whereas, the letter O is more circular. While this subtle difference between the number and the letter may be somewhat obvious to the astute, it isn’t so obvious to those who not only can’t really tell the difference between the two but to the point, believe that the number 0 should look more like a circle, for a lot of reasons, of which the most proximate one is the fact that when people write down the number 0, they typically make it to look like a circle, as opposed to more of an oval look.
In our modern age, keyboards and word processing programs that utilize keyboards can be designed to make the letter O and the number 0 more differentiated, and ought to do so. So too, in documents of all types, it should be clear and obvious when a number is being used as compared to a letter, of which, one of the most annoying problems with 0 and O is the fact that there are, for instance, airplane ticket codes, that utilize interchangeability numbers and letters, signifying that those that are unfortunate enough to get a confirmation code that contains a 0, aren’t sure whether it is a 0 or an 0, especially when they are in a hurry to enter what they need to enter in order to get their seat assignment. So too, passcodes to websites or email verifications may also have a combination of numbers and letters, leading to the same sort of issue. It would seem that the best workaround is to either add a slash through the number 0 or even better to add a solid circle inside the number 0, to differentiate such, which thus removes any doubt between the two.
It would seem that it would behoove governmental organizations of all types to make it their point, to see that the standard for the 0 and the O is structured in a way and form in which there would not be any confusion between the two, and whether or not private enterprise thereby decided to copy such would be up to those involved in those endeavors. Indeed, governments the world over have a habit of creating standards, for the very purpose of removing confusion and to have enterprises of all types conform to those standards for orthodoxy and thus the utility of the greater good. This is what needs to occur when it comes to the number 0 and the letter O for what we have presently, should be and needs to be improved upon, and there isn’t any good reason why this shouldn’t be done. After all, as it stands, serious mistakes can be made, for example, in the search of a document and similar, when the entry for what is being searched for is misinterpreted because it is assumed to be a number when it is instead a letter.