I wonder why algebraic notation?

Why not descriptive notation?  That means moves like P-K4.  Why does U.S. Chess endorse algebraic notation instead? 

Oh, that's easy.  It's because descriptive notation sucks.

I agree it's easy.  But algebraic sucks :)

Actually that's a good point. Considering that the US stands nearly alone in the world in it's continued use of the imperial system over the metric system, why not stick with descriptive notation too, while you're at it?

Oh no, algebraic is a beautiful experience.  Descriptive is clunky and ungainly.  It is also murder when playing through lines in your head (keeping track of where everything is).

The only useful aspect of descriptive is talking about positions irrespective of whether it's White or Black:  ie, "BxPch" instead of having to say "Bxh7+ or Bxh2+."

With algebriac, you need a legend on the board.  With descriptive, you don't need it.

lol...well, maybe you need those numbers & letters, but I don't. 

lol, not for descriptive, I don't.  I can write a program converting one notation to another.

Having grown up with descriptive and converted to algebraic, I am fluent (if that's the word for it) in both.

I can handle algebraic, but not yet w/o a grid.  Probably never.  I just want to know why the switch in the 70's.

The whole rest of the world was using it.  I hated it till I tried it.  Now I like it.

Of course, everybody was supposed to go metric back then too (as Metastable has alluded to).

Yeah true, I'm sure Informants et al had a lot to do with it.

A fatal flaw, to assume that something that is necessary for you is necessary for everyone else too.

Algebraic is of course better and logical as it gives the address of a location on a two dimensional chess board - just like we have longitude and latitude for any location on Earth.

The major reason the US changed, was to save time and money translating foreign chess literature.  The informants were a prime factor.

I tried to hold on to descriptive notation since it was more "traditional"  for a few years after algebraic took hold.  But one too many game reviews of "17. B-QB5 - hmm wait a minute my rook is on that square" eventually brought me around. 

What do you want to use? International postal notation, where the ranks and files both have numbers 1-8 and the Ruy Lopez looks like:

1. 5254  5755

2. 7163  2836

3. 6125  1716

There has to be some kind of universally accepted system.

Algebraic is beTter in the same way that the metric system is better. Just try programming with furlongs and fathoms some time. The difference will become obvious. I am in the age group that grew up with descriptive notation and, trust me, algebraic is much better. The biggest difference is that every square only has a single name. Learning to play blindfold would have been much more confusing in descriptive.

I'd fully expect that the oldest folk might not cope well with the algebraic notaton, since they had the most years working only with the inferior notations.  But it's embarrassing how many people around my age (50) are resistant to algebraic, considering we were still growing up when when the U.S. started the switchover.

It's sort of a hoot, though, when people who can't follow lines in their heads in algebraic make statements that no one else (or not many others) can either.  It's like a 2nd grader saying all those 4th graders are lying when they say they can read cursive handwriting. 

Beautiful.