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List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: A question on terminology (fwd)
From:       David Black <davidb () sco ! COM>
Date:       1999-06-24 10:57:32
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I have just been playing with the windows while I was thinking 
about the terminolog issue. I agree that maximize/iconify is a strange
pairing. The problem for me at least is that while similar sounding
but opposite names appears to be appropos to the options, there is
the secondary issue that each of the opposites requires an opposite.
Let me expand ... (too many opposites)

	When I click on the current maximize menu option the window
expands to its full size and the option maximize changes to its opposite
which is restore (a strange duality I feel).

	When I click on iconify the window does just that (I think of the
button in the bar as beeing iconic anyway since it represents a
running app). The menu option then changes to deiconify (this
is a much more sensible opposite).

	So if we change iconify to minimize, are we going to be consistant
and change de-iconify to restore? Its one less translation I guess.

	At the end of the day I don't like using minimize and
maximize because the terms make them sound like opposite functionalities
but in fact they are simply different things. I think that a more
sensible terminology might be 
	Maximize and restore for window sizing
and
	Show and Hide for window management.

	But then again everyones mileage will vary. But one thing
is for sure, to most people iconify will appear quirky at best and
baffling at worst.

	D.

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