OpenOffice.org Off the Wall: It's Numbering, But Not as We Know It
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=7659&mode=thread&order=0

Byfield, Bruce
Linux Journal
2004

Abstract:

Like any word processor, OpenOffice.org's Writer automatically adds numbers and bullets to paragraphs for you. Unlike typical word processors, however, Writer does not make lists a part of paragraph styles. Instead, lists have styles of their own. These styles are called numbering styles. Separating list styles from paragraph styles gives list options more room for custom settings without burying them deep in the menus.