Re: Menu terminology

[Sharon Burton <sharonburton -at- EMAIL -dot- MSN -dot- COM>]

I think you all have too much time on your hands... ;>

Truly, what is the point in calling them different things? From the users
point of view, they are all menu items that do stuff. The point, for the
user, is to do stuff, not wonder if this is a command and that is an options
and this one over here is a... You get the point.

Most users probably don't know these things are called commands. They see
them referred to, and refer to them, as items on menus. Beyond that, they do
not care. They want to do what they are doing.

sharon

Sharon Burton
Anthrobytes Consulting
Home of RoboNEWS(tm), the unofficial RoboHELP newsletter
www.anthrobytes.com
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-----Original Message-----
From: John Bell <jbell -at- PARAGREN -dot- COM>
To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU <TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU>
Date: Tuesday, 01 September, 1998 11:38 AM
Subject: Menu terminology


>I have a new writer who brought an interesting question to me.
>What do you call the items on a menu?
>My initial reaction was "Commands", because that's
>what the Apple Style Guide and the Microsoft Manual
>of Style calls them.
>
>Her reaction is that commands should be verbs, and
>most of the items on our menus are not verbs but the
>names of windows (List Field Builder, User Setup,
>and so on). We even have a few options where you
>turn on/off checkmarks on the menu (Show Tooltips,
>Open Library on Start, and so on).
>
>Now I find myself doubting the universal label of
>"Command". Should we differentiate between commands,
>window names, and options? If so, what should we call
>them?
>
>Thanks!
>--- John Bell
>    jbell -at- paragren -dot- com
>
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>
>
>

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