RE: software control terms -- To "choose" is passive?

[Yves JEAUROND <jingting -at- rogers -dot- com>]

Darren you are right that choose and select convey the same idea.
  Then you add that "to choose" is too passive? Huh?
   
  choose. OED1, to pick out as being the best...
  select. OED1, carefully choose as being the best...
   
  If users can't just plain choose, what is this world coming to? :-)  
   
  Cheers,
   
  YJ
   

"Butler, Darren J Ctr 584 CBSS/GBHAC" <Darren -dot- Butler -dot- ctr -at- Robins -dot- af -dot- mil> a écrit :
  FWIW - I use "select" as my "go-to" verb whenever an action can be
achieved by multiple methods [...] The word "choose" (in my
view) conveys the same idea but is too passive. One can choose an option
but not take any action regarding it - IMHO.



Blessings,

Darren

****************************************

Darren J. Butler

Sr. Technical Writer-Editor, FrameTemplate Wrangler, Mil-Spec Pharisee

Integrated Data for Maintenance

NG Corp



-----Original Message-----
From:
techwr-l-bounces+darren -dot- butler -dot- ctr=robins -dot- af -dot- mil -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+darren -dot- butler -dot- ctr=robins -dot- af -dot- mil -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- 
com] On Behalf Of Susan W Gallagher
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2007 11:41 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: software control terms



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. 

-Sue Gallagher





On 9/10/07, Combs, Richard 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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