Re: [Usability] tools on the desktop

[Alan Horkan <horkana maths tcd ie>]

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005, Phil Bull wrote:

> Date: Fri, 29 Jul 2005 15:36:03 +0100
> From: Phil Bull <philbull gmail com>
> To: usability gnome org
> Subject: Re: [Usability] tools on the desktop
>
> Hey Thilo
>
> >  * I can imagine that in some cultures a trash is either not very well
> > known or more negativley associated.
>
> The British localisation calls trash the 'Wastebasket'. It's quaint.

Dustbin is the more general term I would use myself rather than
wastebasket, although in the office context I might refer to a specific
waste paper basket.  Trash is definately an Americanism some of us could
do with out.

Microsoft have taken to calling it a Recycle Bin which is a metaphor
I happen to like and it doesn't hurt that it doesn't require
different localisations for Americans (or does it?).

> Similar things can be/are done for other cultures, as the default
> trash icons for most themes are pretty stylised (no flies buzzing
> around the icon or bits of rotten stuff hanging out).

There was an extension for the Mac that would cause Oscar the Grouch to
appear from the trash can and say something depending on what you did.

> > I think one could have
> > A) a tool for ejecting/unmounting.

There were tools/applets like this already but chances are you
distribution no longer includes disk mount applets.

> >  * Why not use Themes as something that is adopted to a local culture?
>
> Interface consistency. It's bad enough having language barriers, but
> when you start rearranging things based on locale, people from
> low-user-count locales might get stuck and have no-one to help them
> because their desktop layout is different from anyone else's.

It is always better if you can pick metaphors which are more universal and
more easily understood, and ideally it saves you from having to do extra
localisation work.

- Alan