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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: "Folder" or "Directory"?
From:       Christoph Niemann <cnieman () suse ! de>
Date:       2003-10-20 9:14:12
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Am Montag, 20. Oktober 2003 03:26 schrieb Stian Søiland:
> On 2003-10-18 11:37:33, Casey Allen Shobe wrote:
> > Directories are called directories everywhere else in UNIX/Linux, and
> > since KDE runs AFAIK only on UNIX/Linux, it should follow this standard.
>
> I totally disagree. Any "good oldtime UNIX user" who walks around
> thinking about directories should have no problem understanding what a
> "Folder" is. Many people new to computing, or simply new to UNIX would
> easier understand "Folder" - not only because this is the term used in
> other situations and operating systems, but because it gives the user a
> feeling of "This is a place to put stuff".
>
> A "directory" gives the impression of "this is a place I can register
> something to look it up later" - like an address book.  If you
> registered a friend in a book and then threw away the book, you don't
> expect to lose your friend, do you?  Well, that's the case with
> "directories".
>
> The term folder is a far more appropriate term for some other reason as
> well, and that is the beautiful IO-slave concept of KDE. I can use
> ftp://blabla to see FTP folders, webdav://zope.domain.com to visit
> folders on my Zope server (and no, they are not directories on the
> backend), etc. etc.
>
> Folders should be consistent not caring where they are placed, there is
> no reason to 'teach' users about the term 'directory' when 'folder'
> works perfect.
>
> I suggest saying 'All folders are called folders, there are no
> directories' (hehe, there is no spoon) or something in the
> (nonexistent?) UI guidelines.

Also -- just to stress the importance of the consistent use of _one_ word -- 
The Relevantive Usability Study [1]  mentioned this paticular wording 
problem: 

   The most striking example of this [wording problem] is the term
   "Verzeichnis" (directory). To 46% of all test subjects it was unclear
   whether "Ordner" (folder) and "Verzeichnis" (directory) were synonymous.
   Consequently, they had problems with the task which asked them to create a
   new folder. It should also be known that their handout explicitly mentioned
   the "persönliche Ordner"/"Verzeichnis" (personal folder / directory). In
   terms of our results, this means that the Linux system would have increased
   its rating and performance with optimal wording. [p. 28]

Thus, I would be a rather great improvement to establish a consistent usage of 
the one term. 

Greetings,
Christoph

-- 
 | Christoph Niemann <cnieman@suse.de>
 | SuSE Usability Guild
 |
 | Contrary to popular opinion, the plural of 'anecdote' is not 'fact'.

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