Re: [Proposal] Remove some stuff from Application menu

[Shaun McCance <shaunm wolfram com>]

On Tue, 2003-07-08 at 16:39, Kjartan Maraas wrote: 
> tir, 08.07.2003 kl. 23.17 skrev Pat Rondon:
> > On Tue, 2003-07-08 at 17:09, Shaun McCance wrote:
> > > On Tue, 2003-07-08 at 02:33, Darryl Rees wrote:
> > > Hmm, well, that was easy.  I have no objection to this, though I think
> > > 'files' should be capitalized.  On to the icon:  The house should go if
> > > the word home is going.  However, having a custom icon is nice, so
> > > somebody should probably think of something to replace it.  Personally,
> > > I think it'd be best just to use the folder icon and have Nautilus
> > > automatically stick some emblem on it, like it does with Desktop.
> > > 
> > > --
> > > Shaun
> > 
> > If we're going to use the username, will it be capitalized?  "praxim's
> > Files" looks wrong entirely.  So we either use the real name (assumed to
> > be capitalized, I don't know where to get it) or capitalize the username
> > if we want it to look consistent.
> 
> And this has localisation issues for at least some languages where the
> translation will depend on whether the user's name ends on an 's' or
> not. For me "Your files" sounds ok, but I'm sure there are arguments
> against that too. :)

Presumably this could just be presented in each language using whatever
technique that language uses for possessive.

The suggestion of "Your files" raises the question of how one thinks of
one's desktop.  Is it an entity that's giving you directions, or is it
your own personal workspace where some stuff already has labels for your
convenience?  If the former, then "Your files" makes sense.  If the
latter, then "My files" makes sense.

I've been known to rail against the tendency to "My" everything, but I
don't think this would be a bad usage for it.  The reason I hate things
like "My Computer" and "My Network Places" is that they aren't actually
mine.  In the case of my home directory, it is mine.

Of course, "My" leads to this interesting exchange:

Tech Support: Doulbe-click on "My Computer".
Newbie: I can't double-click on your computer!

No, really.  I did ISP tech support in college.  This stuff does happen.

Anyway, we should really think long and hard about what gets used.  We
don't want to have to change it again and again.  Changing what we call
the home directory is something that should only be done every thirty
years or so.  ;-)

--
Shaun