Re: [Usability]widget style vs window decoration, (was "cheat to window-manager integration")

[Daniel Borgmann <daniel liebesgedichte net>]

On Thu, 2002-07-25 at 18:59, Christian Rose wrote:
> tor 2002-07-25 klockan 04.36 skrev Sunnanvind Fenderson:
> > I like the word "widget", and it's not particularly harmful for it to
> > be present.
> > 
> > Before I knew what the name for widgets were, i.e. before I'd heard
> > the word widget, they were really hard to talk about, and even as a
> > non-programming user many people would like to do that.
> > 
> > (With "application theme" I'm reading "application specific themes"
> > which would be very wrong.)
> > 
> > Calling the widget style settings "widget style" is a gentle way for
> > people to find out that the common name for those clickable
> > thingamajigs are "widgets".
> 
> We are not here to educate people, we are here to present people with a
> usable desktop, and preferrably regardless of their previous familiarity
> with certain design terminology.
> 
> Not all people are of the kind "oh here is something that I'm not
> familiar with, let's see what it does" but rather "oh here is something
> that I'm not familiar with, better not touch that". In that respect,
> presenting the user with strange terminology is something that should be
> *avoided* rather than enouraged.

But he has a point... There simply is no other word (yet?) for "those
clickable things inside the application window" than "widgets". Do you
really think it's more efficient to constantly try to talk around the
real thing than just telling them once what Widgets are? Just imagine we
wouldn't be able to use the term "Windows" for those... well windows,
because people weren't used to it!
Let's say someone wants to change themes... He will look at Desktop
Preferences -> Themes. This should be one program, showing some tabs for
different theme settings. The "widget theme" would most probably be on
the first page and there you could place a little explaination, or even
better an example graphic so people would immidiatly learn what Widgets
are.
Of course I would also prefer a wording that is more near to reallife...
but it would have to be unique IMHO. Like "Application Interface" or
something.