folder and directory (was Re: [Proposal] Remove some stuff from Application menu)

[John Fleck <jfleck inkstain net>]

On Fri, 2003-07-04 at 12:18, Shaun McCance wrote:
> On Fri, 2003-07-04 at 12:06, Reinout van Schouwen wrote:
> > The word 'directory' is thoroughly entrenched in Unix, yet we've chosen to
> > consistently use the word 'folder' instead. This met resistance as well in
> > the beginning but no one who's complaining about that now.
> 
> Heh.  Read my email and count how many times I said folder.  I didn't
> use directory in some deliberate attempt to be Unixy.  It's just the
> term I'm more familiar with.  Despite the choice of Gnome to use folder,
> lots of people still run around saying directory.  The results is that
> users basically have to know that folder == directory, which I think
> most do.
> 
> Is that a bad thing?  Probably not.  Humans are good with synonyms. 
> However, I think a similar situation would arise by using 'Personal
> Files'.  Users will come across the term 'home directory', and they'll
> have to learn that it's the 'Personal Files' folder.  This probably
> isn't too hard on the user, but it rather negates the whole point of
> using 'Personal Files' to begin with.
> 
> 

We actually have been pretty careful about the definitions of "folder"
and "directory," and how to use each in our documentation and
interface.[1]
 
Directory - "A special type of file that enables you to organize other
files into a hierarchical structure. Only use the term directory when
you make specific references to the structure of the file system."

Folder - "A representation of a directory in a graphical program. Use
the term folder when you document programs that use folder icons to
represent directories."

Cheers,
John


[1]
http://developer.gnome.org/documents/style-guide/gnome-glossary-generic-terms.html

-- 
John Fleck
jfleck inkstain net
http://www.inkstain.net
http://www.gnome.org/learn/users-guide/latest/

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