Re: software control terms

["Susan W Gallagher" <susanwg -at- gmail -dot- com>]

I have always had a problem saying "select" for anything but a menu or list
items. My reasoning is that a check box, for example, can be selected
without being checked. Picture the laptop user, or the fast touch-typist,
who wants to navigate a dialog box without using the mouse. They tab through
the fields until the appropriate check box item is ***selected*** (i.e., has
focus), then press the space bar to check or uncheck the box. Saying
"select" for a check box just isn't accurate, and I don't care what the good
folks at MS think.
My two cents. Everyone else's mileage is sure to vary. <g>
-Sue Gallagher


On 9/10/07, Combs, Richard <richard -dot- combs -at- polycom -dot- com> wrote:
>
> Christine Leisgen
>
> > I now realized that at least now, Microsoft uses a more "wordy"
> > explanation of software terms, e. g. "activate the check-box
> > for options x". I see that there is the advantage that it is
> > clearer for the user where to look for the option (it is a
> > check box, not a drop-down list).
>
> Where did you see "activate the check-box"? MMOS has always said that
> you _select_ and _clear_ check boxes (no hyphen). And here's what my
> copy says about identifying interface elements:
>
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