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Subject:Re: To Dialog or Not To Dialog From:John Hedtke <jhedtke -at- OZ -dot- NET> Date:Mon, 1 Apr 1996 19:34:27 GMT
cpmiller -at- cdesigns -dot- com (Charles Miller) wrote:
>I'm currently writing a help system for a client and we seem to
>have reached a semi-impasse on the use of a term. Throughout the
>help file, I use the word "dialog," as in: 'The XYZ dialog allows
>you to...' or 'To do dis 'n dat, you must use the XYZ dialog.'
>The client is strenuously objecting to the use of the word "dialog"
>because he says the users don't understand it. Although I pride
>myself on a career of writing for the 'technically challenged,' I think
>there *has to be *some minimal level of shared "technical" vocabulary
>if we're to explain the operation of a hardware or software component.
<snip>
I agree with you, Charles. There is a certain minimum vocabulary of
concepts that users must have. A dialog (or better, IMO, "dialog
box") is a standard concept these days.
