Terminology
Caveats
Most if not all pages are just rough notes, and these pages as a whole are far from complete. More notes will be added in time, eventually, maybe.
If, from reading these notes, you conclude that I am off my rocker, you won’t be the first, and you may even be right. These pages may simply position me as an acolyte to the late Gene Ray.
No doubt there are a dozen and one reasons why none of this would ever work, but perhaps somewhere deep down there is a tiny fragment that could be used for something.
Contents
Overview
There seems to be a terminology conflict between a “manager” as a system component (Configuration Manager, Cache Manager), a “manager” as a session component (Window Manager) and a “manager” as a user-level tool (Print Queue Manager, Task Manager).
The principle of consistency requires that the same term be used for all programs and modules of the same category, and that each category uses a different term so that there is never any doubt as to what category is being referenced.
Further, the names of all system programs and modules should be as unambiguous as is reasonably possible against common language terms. Calling the session-level printer manager “Printers” has some ambiguity with the standard plural “printers”. Consider the misconception “write click on a file” as a way for a simple instruction to be misinterpreted; although it is virtually impossible to write unambiguous English (at least, not without stilted phrasing), it is preferable to introduce new ambiguity in the names of system facilities. Even simple actions like removing the word “Start” from the Start button in Windows has caused problems, as now users need to be directed to click something with (for end users) no readily-identifiable name.
Error
Even the word “error” does not indicate whether the user made a mistake (and the UI should avoid this being possible) or whether it’s a system fault. This is not to say that the user should be patronised with rubbish like “something went wrong”, which is even worse. Treat the user like a rational being but do not blame them for pitfalls you put in their path.
Glossary
- App
- Not a word; this is some horrible term created for the toy software on “smart” phones. This term is not to be used.
- Application
- This is meant to be productivity software and the like (the application of the computer to useful work) but there is unlikely to be any realistic way to differentiate programs by type. For current purposes, an “application” refers to a complete, stand-alone software package with a primary compiled binary that provides the key workload for the software.
- Tab
- Any of an array of tab-shaped controls that permit switching on the fly between multiple pages of information. This term is only valid when switching tabs does not lose any unsaved input in the tab that lost focus. If switching “tab” discards all input from the previous “tab”—as constantly happens on web-based systems, then they menu items and not tabs. Tabbed dialog boxes contain real tabs.