Re: revised patch to change tooltips

[Seth Nickell <snickell stanford edu>]

Excellent observation...

Verbs seem to be generally more descriptive in this case, but I am
concerned that we may end up with some very awkward tool tips this way
(because its hard to have a verb tooltip for every program...?).

I hope we move to more descriptive application names too, in which case
having another noun form may be somewhat more redundant.

e.g. if rather than calling something "X-Chat" we call it "X-Chat IRC
Client" or just "IRC Client"...the verb tooltip makes more sense
"Communicate with people in chatrooms" (bad tooltip, but I don't want to
think hard here ;-).

-Seth

On 31 Jul 2001 10:35:16 -0600, nils wrote:
> Okay I started updating the menu proposal to include tooltips on the second
> large table which shows core GNOME 1.4 menus. I only updated that table -
> nothing else.
> 
> http://www242.pair.com/nilsp/nils/panel/menus.html (scroll down to the middle
> of the doc)
> 
> I started noticing a few patterns to the tooltips.
> 
> 1) Noun based descriptions, for example, Sound recorder [A simple soundrecording program for GNOME]
> 
> 2) Verb based descriptions, for example, Startup Hint [Browse the startup hints]
> 
> 3) The ususal capitalization inconsistentcies
> 
> 4) Redundant information, for example, Gnome Mines [Gnome Mines game]
> 
> 5) Tooltip same as menu, for example, Simple Calculator [Simple Calculator]
> 
> 6) Menu categories didn't usually have tootips. Also the ones that did were actually hard to invoke, there
> seems to be a bug (at least in the Solaris version) were you have to completly restart the foot menu and
> go directly to the menu category otherwise the tootip won't display; if you then go to another menu category
> and then back to the original - the tooltip won't display.
> 
> ---------
> 
> So I guess we should decide whether we go for noun or verb based descriptions, for example
> 
> GNOME Terminal: is the tooltip
> 
> Terminal Window for Command Prompt or  (something like)
> Use for entering command on a compter.
> 
> We also need to decide on a capitization policy - I inclined to go for that the first word plus
> program names should be capitalized.
> 
> Once we decide what policies we are going to use, we can split up the work to come up with
> the tooltips. I can then update the file to reflect both the tooltips and menu labels for 2.0???
> 
> Nils
> 
> jpg2 cec wustl edu wrote:
> 
> > > Jamin,
> > >
> > > One compromise would be
> > >
> > > "Terminal for Command Prompt"
> >
> > I think that would work well.
> >
> > > Anyone know what Mac OS X does?
> > >
> > > **********
> > >
> > > I think we need go through all the tooltips in GNOME. I could add an extra
> > > field to that table I posted last week and come up with a proposal?
> >
> > I agree; that would be a great idea.  Let me know if I can help.
> >
> > -jamin
> >
> > > Nils
> > >
> > > jpg2 cec wustl edu wrote:
> > >
> > > > > On Mon, Jul 23, 2001 at 07:08:37PM -0500, jpg2 cec wustl edu wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > Terminal emulation program - > Command Prompt
> > > > >
> > > > > I have some doubt about "Command Prompt".  With *nix systems, "Terminal"
> > > > > is an important concept that is hard to fit in a simple "Command Prompt"
> > > > > definition: you don't run Mutt inside a "Command Prompt", for example, but
> > > > > you run it inside a full-fledged Terminal Window, or something like that.
> > > >
> > > > I fully understand your reasoning.  Here's my reasoning and the
> > > > reasoning behind the usability report:
> > > >
> > > > The tooltips are for newbies--someone who has no clue what the icon
> > > > does and particularly, someone who isn't familiar with Linux or Unix
> > > > at all.  To them if they hover over the icon and a tooltip pops up
> > > > that says "Terminal emulation program" that will be absolutely
> > > > *nothing* to them.  However, even my mother has an idea what a command
> > > > prompt is--and not just from her Windows experience.  The phrase makes
> > > > sense to them.
> > > >
> > > > In addition, the phrase "Command Prompt" is more specific.  A terminal
> > > > is a generic term--like you said you can run mutt or vi or pico in a
> > > > terminal.  When someone is learning Linux/Unix they will invariably ,
> > > > at some point, want to get to the command prompt to try something that
> > > > a tutorial or a friend suggested.  They aren't likely to know that
> > > > what they want is a terminal emulator that starts a shell, giving them
> > > > a prompt.  Who cares that the command prompt is run in a terminal
> > > > emulator?
> > > >
> > > > I guess what it boils down to is that the term "Command Prompt" isn't
> > > > incorrect--it's specific.  It doesn't hurt the Unix pro's one bit;
> > > > they know fully what they're doing--in fact they can easily change the
> > > > tooltip themselves if it bothers them at some philosophical level.
> > > > And it helps greatly the newbies--which is really what tooltips are
> > > > for to begin with.
> > > >
> > > > ----------------------------------------------------
> > > > name:    Jamin Philip Gray
> > > > email:   jgray writeme com
> > > > icq:     1361499
> > > > jabber:  jamin jabber com
> > > > web:     http://DoLinux.org/jamin/
> > > >
> > > > I loathe people who keep dogs.  They are cowards who haven't got the guts
> > > > to bite people themselves.
> > > >                 -- August Strindberg
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > Usability mailing list
> > > > Usability gnome org
> > > > http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/usability
> > >
> >
> > ----------------------------------------------------
> > name:    Jamin Philip Gray
> > email:   jgray writeme com
> > icq:     1361499
> > jabber:  jamin jabber com
> > web:     http://DoLinux.org/jamin/
> >
> > If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost;
> > that is where they should be.  Now put foundations under them.
> >
> > --Henry David Thoreau
> 
> 
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