Re: [Usability] Gnome Volume Manager

[Sean Middleditch <elanthis awesomeplay com>]

(Sorry if the following sounds a bit sarcastically harsh, it's late and
I'm tired, and I'm not quite sure how else to make the point.)

On Sun, 2004-09-05 at 01:50 +0100, Alan Horkan wrote:
> On Sat, 4 Sep 2004, Reinout van Schouwen wrote:
> 
> > Date: Sat, 4 Sep 2004 22:58:53 +0200 (CEST)
> > From: Reinout van Schouwen <reinout cs vu nl>
> > To: Sean Middleditch <elanthis awesomeplay com>
> > Cc: usability gnome org
> > Subject: Re: [Usability] Gnome Volume Manager
> >
> > On Sat, 4 Sep 2004, Sean Middleditch wrote:
> >
> > > a disk and a partition on a disk, and so on.  (Volume easily refers to
> > > all of them, makes sense, and is familiar terminology; no other word
> >
> > This discussion amuses me a bit. If you only knew the impossible
> > dilemmas the i18n teams face when having to translate the word 'volume'
> > used in this context...
> 
> English _is_ my native language and I find this confusing.  Even as I
> learn more about computer programming I still seem to retain the
> perspective of the ordinary user and think most normal people associate
> Volume with Audio Volume (or maybe liquid volume).

First thing *I* think of is a big book.  "Volume I of the
encyclopedia."  ;-)

The English language, and I'm sure most other languages, are *filled*
with ambiguous words.  Fact of life.  If we're on a quest to get rid of
ambiguous terms that might possibly confuse someone the first time they
encounter the word, we have a *lot* of work to do; namely, inventing a
new language...

We better stop using the word 'button' in our UI.  Someone might confuse
it with a part of their clothing!  And 'window', someone might confuse
that with a pane of glass.  'Mouse' has to go, that thing is definitely
*not* a rodent.  'Applications' is bad, someone could think we mean a
set of forms to be submitted to make a request.  Can't use 'printer',
that could mean a person in the field of printing.  'Menu' won't work,
someone might try to use it to order dinner.  

Oh, wait, those are all new terms you've picked up while using a
computer, right?  What, pray tell, is so special about volume, then?
Just because we also have audio volume control on a computer?  We also
have applications that can be filled out electronically, and I know I've
used an electronic menu to order carry out before.

> 
> Which reminds me, not all of those forced to read about GNOME in English
> have English as their first language (although our Dutch friends like
> Reinout may well have better English than we do).
> 
> Using the clearest simplest and most straightforward language possible
> helps all kinds of users.  Even the most intelligent people had to learn
> these things once, no reason why things should be clear for everyone.
> I like good quality clear English the same way you probably like g
> good clear API's.

If we do change the name of g-v-m, then Gnome Removable Storage Manager
is probably the best choice, since that's the name of the caplet for g-
v-m.  (g-v-m only handles particular types of volumes, that being those
which are on devices recognized by HAL, which is _mostly_ removable
storage devices.)

Of course, then you need to find a new term for Nautilus, since it
(properly) uses "Volume" in its UI in several places.  Please propose a
term that actually works for all types of volumes that Nautilus can
access, and which is something both an inexperienced and experienced
user will recognize (or learn to recognize) easier than "volume", and
then maybe a change could occur.

And, again, you better start tackling all those GNU man pages and kernel
utilities and other operating systems that have been using "volume" for
years.  Someone might encounter them and become confused.  ;-)

What term can you use that universally describes removable media, disk
partitions, network shares, virtual mounts, etc?  Volume *is* the
"clearest simplest and most straightforward language possible" in this
situation, since no other word fits the bill.