Re: revised patch to change tooltips

[nils <n p sun com>]

http://www242.pair.com/nilsp/nils/panel/menus.html

Well, here's another update. This time there are proposals for the tooltips. As
english wasn't exactly my best subject at school, I would appreciate if someone
could check through this. Also I didn't do any of the Games, If someone would
propose menu names and tooltips for the games, I will incorporate these into
the table. So judge for yourself - if they are awkward - and I don't thing long
automatically means akward :-) I think the big open issue is, what happens
when we change a menu item so it does not map 1-1 with the app name?
Do we change the app name (hard) or do we at least make some reference
to the menu item in the app title bar (easier)?

Nils

Seth Nickell wrote:

> Excellent observation...
>
> Verbs seem to be generally more descriptive in this case, but I am
> concerned that we may end up with some very awkward tool tips this way
> (because its hard to have a verb tooltip for every program...?).
>
> I hope we move to more descriptive application names too, in which case
> having another noun form may be somewhat more redundant.
>
> e.g. if rather than calling something "X-Chat" we call it "X-Chat IRC
> Client" or just "IRC Client"...the verb tooltip makes more sense
> "Communicate with people in chatrooms" (bad tooltip, but I don't want to
> think hard here ;-).
>
> -Seth
>
> On 31 Jul 2001 10:35:16 -0600, nils wrote:
> > Okay I started updating the menu proposal to include tooltips on the second
> > large table which shows core GNOME 1.4 menus. I only updated that table -
> > nothing else.
> >
> > http://www242.pair.com/nilsp/nils/panel/menus.html (scroll down to the middle
> > of the doc)
> >
> > I started noticing a few patterns to the tooltips.
> >
> > 1) Noun based descriptions, for example, Sound recorder [A simple soundrecording program for GNOME]
> >
> > 2) Verb based descriptions, for example, Startup Hint [Browse the startup hints]
> >
> > 3) The ususal capitalization inconsistentcies
> >
> > 4) Redundant information, for example, Gnome Mines [Gnome Mines game]
> >
> > 5) Tooltip same as menu, for example, Simple Calculator [Simple Calculator]
> >
> > 6) Menu categories didn't usually have tootips. Also the ones that did were actually hard to invoke, there
> > seems to be a bug (at least in the Solaris version) were you have to completly restart the foot menu and
> > go directly to the menu category otherwise the tootip won't display; if you then go to another menu category
> > and then back to the original - the tooltip won't display.
> >
> > ---------
> >
> > So I guess we should decide whether we go for noun or verb based descriptions, for example
> >
> > GNOME Terminal: is the tooltip
> >
> > Terminal Window for Command Prompt or  (something like)
> > Use for entering command on a compter.
> >
> > We also need to decide on a capitization policy - I inclined to go for that the first word plus
> > program names should be capitalized.
> >
> > Once we decide what policies we are going to use, we can split up the work to come up with
> > the tooltips. I can then update the file to reflect both the tooltips and menu labels for 2.0???
> >
> > Nils
> >
> > jpg2 cec wustl edu wrote:
> >
> > > > Jamin,
> > > >
> > > > One compromise would be
> > > >
> > > > "Terminal for Command Prompt"
> > >
> > > I think that would work well.
> > >
> > > > Anyone know what Mac OS X does?
> > > >
> > > > **********
> > > >
> > > > I think we need go through all the tooltips in GNOME. I could add an extra
> > > > field to that table I posted last week and come up with a proposal?
> > >
> > > I agree; that would be a great idea.  Let me know if I can help.
> > >
> > > -jamin
> > >
> > > > Nils
> > > >
> > > > jpg2 cec wustl edu wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > > On Mon, Jul 23, 2001 at 07:08:37PM -0500, jpg2 cec wustl edu wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > > Terminal emulation program - > Command Prompt
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I have some doubt about "Command Prompt".  With *nix systems, "Terminal"
> > > > > > is an important concept that is hard to fit in a simple "Command Prompt"
> > > > > > definition: you don't run Mutt inside a "Command Prompt", for example, but
> > > > > > you run it inside a full-fledged Terminal Window, or something like that.
> > > > >
> > > > > I fully understand your reasoning.  Here's my reasoning and the
> > > > > reasoning behind the usability report:
> > > > >
> > > > > The tooltips are for newbies--someone who has no clue what the icon
> > > > > does and particularly, someone who isn't familiar with Linux or Unix
> > > > > at all.  To them if they hover over the icon and a tooltip pops up
> > > > > that says "Terminal emulation program" that will be absolutely
> > > > > *nothing* to them.  However, even my mother has an idea what a command
> > > > > prompt is--and not just from her Windows experience.  The phrase makes
> > > > > sense to them.
> > > > >
> > > > > In addition, the phrase "Command Prompt" is more specific.  A terminal
> > > > > is a generic term--like you said you can run mutt or vi or pico in a
> > > > > terminal.  When someone is learning Linux/Unix they will invariably ,
> > > > > at some point, want to get to the command prompt to try something that
> > > > > a tutorial or a friend suggested.  They aren't likely to know that
> > > > > what they want is a terminal emulator that starts a shell, giving them
> > > > > a prompt.  Who cares that the command prompt is run in a terminal
> > > > > emulator?
> > > > >
> > > > > I guess what it boils down to is that the term "Command Prompt" isn't
> > > > > incorrect--it's specific.  It doesn't hurt the Unix pro's one bit;
> > > > > they know fully what they're doing--in fact they can easily change the
> > > > > tooltip themselves if it bothers them at some philosophical level.
> > > > > And it helps greatly the newbies--which is really what tooltips are
> > > > > for to begin with.
> > > > >
> > > > > ----------------------------------------------------
> > > > > name:    Jamin Philip Gray
> > > > > email:   jgray writeme com
> > > > > icq:     1361499
> > > > > jabber:  jamin jabber com
> > > > > web:     http://DoLinux.org/jamin/
> > > > >
> > > > > I loathe people who keep dogs.  They are cowards who haven't got the guts
> > > > > to bite people themselves.
> > > > >                 -- August Strindberg
> > > > >
> > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > > Usability mailing list
> > > > > Usability gnome org
> > > > > http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/usability
> > > >
> > >
> > > ----------------------------------------------------
> > > name:    Jamin Philip Gray
> > > email:   jgray writeme com
> > > icq:     1361499
> > > jabber:  jamin jabber com
> > > web:     http://DoLinux.org/jamin/
> > >
> > > If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost;
> > > that is where they should be.  Now put foundations under them.
> > >
> > > --Henry David Thoreau
> >
> >
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> >
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