Re: [Usability] Find and Search [was: new search/replace dialog proposal for gedit]

[Joachim Noreiko <jnoreiko yahoo com>]

--- Calum Benson <Calum Benson Sun COM> wrote:

> On Fri, 2006-11-10 at 21:43 +0000, Joachim Noreiko
> wrote:
> > --- Sebastian Heinlein <glatzor ubuntu com> wrote:
> > > Find is used for a search that only covers the
> > > currently opened data
> > > set, e.g. a search in a web page or abiword
> > > document. If you also access
> > > external data, the term search should be used.
> > 
> > I've often wondered about the difference between
> the
> > two terms, if any.
> > Is that the official definition?
> 
> The HIG does make this distinction (see Table 4.8):
>
http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gup/hig/2.0/menus-standard.html#menu-standard-edit
> 
> but I've always been a bit wary of it.  I'm not
> convinced the difference
> matters to most users, and I'd guess the subtlety it
> doesn't translate
> very well to some languages either.

...including English!

Most people won't distinguish between the two
meanings.
In everyday English, 'search' is the action, and
'find' is the outcome.
Bending existing words to alternative meanings isn't
helpful to users.
Is there even a need to distinguish between searching
the current document and searching external data?


		
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