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List:       koffice-devel
Subject:    Re: KSpread: document -> workbook
From:       Robert Knight <robertknight () gmail ! com>
Date:       2005-11-16 14:42:06
Message-ID: 13ed09c00511160642j1f8b49d8t () mail ! gmail ! com
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Ignore the dictionary definition, I am interested in how people use
the term in everyday language.  People don't say "Word Document",
"Excel Document", "PowerPoint Document", they say "Word Document",
"Excel Spreadsheet", "PowerPoint Presentation".

In any case, I tried Google-fighting the various terms and there
doesn't seem to be much between them.

> Does it?
> I don't claim to be native English, but this conclusion seems really weird
> to me.  Why on earth would information be read only and properties not?

It is difficult to explain, it is just a connotation that the word
"information" has.  In any case, I don't know what the "KDE standards"
say, but looking at the various KDE apps I have running, some use the
phrase "XXX Information" (amaroK) others use "Properties..." (KPDF,
Konqueror, Kopete)

To be honest, I really wouldn't mind having "File -> Document
Information" but using the term "workbook" elsewhere in the program. 
To my mind, the difference between the two options "Protect Sheet" and
"Protect Workbook" is more obvious than "Protect Sheet" and "Protect
Document".  Having said that, I don't have an especially strong
opinion on this, suffice to say that clear guidelines about where to
use the terms would be useful.  For example, in KPresenter where
should the term "Presentation" be used, and where would "Document" be
more appropriate?  In KSpread at the moment, the term "document" is
used in some places and "workbook" in others.  The templates use the
term "Workbook".




On 11/16/05, Thomas Zander <zander@kde.org> wrote:
> On Wednesday 16 November 2005 13:49, Robert Knight wrote:
> >  "File ->
> > Properties" strikes be as more logical than "File -> Document
> > Information" because 'information' implies that the user cannot change
> > the settings.
>
> Does it?
> I don't claim to be native English, but this conclusion seems really weird
> to me.  Why on earth would information be read only and properties not?
>
> Properties are part of a document;  like amount of legs on a fly or number
> of pages is a property of a document.
>
> Information, on the other hand is about meta data as well.
>
> Maybe you, as a programmer, as used to altering properties whereas a
> typist is used to registering document information.
>
> I suggest we just follow the KDE standards instead of trying to play word
> games.
> --
> Thomas Zander
>
>
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