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List:       kde-look
Subject:    Re: OK/yes
From:       Derek <fountai () hursley ! ibm ! com>
Date:       1999-09-17 9:45:24
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> I'm still there, but on "very low flame". About voting: we tried that 2
> months ago with single-click/double-click - it didn't work (to less
> responses, mails like "why voting?").

Voting is not always a good idea. We are all for democracy, but
sometimes the public just cannot be trusted to make a decision because
the public don't understand the facts. Does that sound arrogant? If it
does, consider why we elect people to make decisions for us. I bet if
you asked the population of any country to vote on reducing taxation
down to 0% you'd get an overwhelming YES!, but that doesn't mean it's
good decision!

> I don't want to be included into another discussion and didn't carefully
> read all your "ok/yes" mails (sorry...), but I hope I may ask this: is
> it really possible to use Yes/No instead of Ok/Cancel *throughout*?
> 
> What I mean is: if this won't be possible I think the user is confused
> that there is both: Yes/No AND OK/Cancel. Without voting for one side: I
> don't think we should have a mixture...

Er, I hate to say it Peter, given your current frame of mind, but I
disagree. (No! Come back!)

What I am proposing is to ask the simplest question, and offer the
simplest answers in all cases. Very often that will be a Yes/No type of
question, because that is how people work in the real world. But OK has
a place, just as a simple confirmation. It's doesn't often answer
questions directly, which is why I don't like it, but it has a place.
Same with Cancel. It has a place, just not as the direct answer to a
simple question.

My original text, which remains unchanged, says "Where possible the
answers to a question should be Yes or No. Questions should be phrased
to match yes or no answers..." I stand by this - it should be the first
choice in phrasing dialog questions, but I don't think it has to be set
in stone. I still say, use Yes/No style questions where they fit, which
is probably in most places, and use whatever else fits when necessary.

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