From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Drew Adams" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: suggestions on toolbar icons Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 17:27:46 -0800 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1111023098 31180 80.91.229.2 (17 Mar 2005 01:31:38 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 01:31:38 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Thu Mar 17 02:31:38 2005 Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1DBjqU-0007EM-4l for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Thu, 17 Mar 2005 02:30:42 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1DBk6f-00035x-Oj for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Wed, 16 Mar 2005 20:47:25 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1DBk6O-00032u-Nr for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 16 Mar 2005 20:47:08 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1DBk6K-0002zp-HE for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 16 Mar 2005 20:47:05 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1DBk6K-0002xx-BY for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 16 Mar 2005 20:47:04 -0500 Original-Received: from [148.87.122.30] (helo=rgminet01.oracle.com) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (TLSv1:DES-CBC3-SHA:168) (Exim 4.34) id 1DBjnj-0000q7-9W for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 16 Mar 2005 20:27:51 -0500 Original-Received: from rgminet01.oracle.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by rgminet01.oracle.com (Switch-3.1.6/Switch-3.1.6) with ESMTP id j2H1Roxh018686 for ; Wed, 16 Mar 2005 20:27:50 -0500 Original-Received: from rgmsgw300.us.oracle.com (rgmsgw300.us.oracle.com [138.1.186.49]) by rgminet01.oracle.com (Switch-3.1.6/Switch-3.1.6) with ESMTP id j2H1RnjT018664 for ; Wed, 16 Mar 2005 20:27:49 -0500 Original-Received: from rgmsgw300.us.oracle.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by rgmsgw300.us.oracle.com (Switch-3.1.4/Switch-3.1.0) with ESMTP id j2H1Rmw0020322 for ; Wed, 16 Mar 2005 18:27:48 -0700 Original-Received: from dradamslap (dradams-lap.us.oracle.com [130.35.177.126]) by rgmsgw300.us.oracle.com (Switch-3.1.4/Switch-3.1.0) with SMTP id j2H1RmdW020315 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=RC4-MD5 bits=128 verify=NO) for ; Wed, 16 Mar 2005 18:27:48 -0700 Original-To: "Emacs-Devel" X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.6604 (9.0.2911.0) Importance: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1441 X-Brightmail-Tracker: AAAAAQAAAAI= X-Whitelist: TRUE X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org X-MailScanner-To: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:34652 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:34652 Some minor suggestions on toolbar icons (in Windows version, at least). No need for a lot of discussion. If any of this makes sense, good; if not, forget it. ALL BUFFERS ----------- - Magnifying glass for search: This symbol is often used for Zoom, and it should be reserved for Zoom. Suggestion: Use binoculars instead. (People don't search with magnifying glasses, anyway.) - Manuscript "X" for quit/exit: This symbol is often used for Delete. It's not too bad for quitting (killing) a buffer, but extending this to stand for "quit" generally (e.g. Info) is not good. Suggestion (my preference): Use the "exit" international symbol, which is an arrow leaving a box by its open end: +----+ | <---- | | +----+ Reserve the manuscript X for a real delete operation that cannot be assimilated with quitting. Whenever "delete" can be considered to mean quit, use the exit symbol. Alternative suggestion (but I prefer the one above): Use a non-manuscript X for quit (perhaps like the one Windows uses to close a frame, in the upper-right corner). It is only the _manuscript_ X that means delete and so can be confusing. - Tooltip for quit/exit: Suggestion: Use "Quit buffer", or "Delete buffer" instead of "Discard current buffer". I prefer "Quit buffer". INFO BUFFER ----------- - Right arrow targeting yellow disk (go to named node): Suggestion: Arrow should point to the word "Node" or "Xxxx", not to a nameless yellow disk. - Index: Suggestion: Add the letter "i" at the top of the icon (lowercase i, as in the information symbol, but without any enclosing circle). Split the "text" of each line, to show that these are entries in a list (index): _ _________ ___________ _ _________ is better than ___________ _ _________ ___________ - Arrows Previous, Next, Up, History Back, and History Forward: The structural-move icons (Previous, Next, Up) look too much like the chronological-move icons of Web browsers. I don't have a slam-dunk suggestion here, but we should come up with something better: browser users are used to these fat arrows for chronological moves. (It's best to avoid them altogether.) Suggestion (my preference): U-turn arrows for chronological moves (right-then-left for back, left-then-right for forward); small arrows with ellipsis (indicating continuation) for structural moves: ...<-- and -->... By "U-turn" arrows, I don't mean the current curly arrows, but arrows that make a full sideways turn, like a U on its side. Alternative suggestion (but I prefer the one above): U-turn arrows for chronological moves; thin arrows for structural moves. (The current curly arrows would not be good for structural moves, because their shape suggests moving up and over.) Second alternative: If people don't like U-turn arrows, then use the fat arrows for chronological moves, a la web browsers. - Tooltip for Up arrow: Should say "Go to parent node", not "Go up in the Info tree". - Home (Info-top-node): Icon is good. However... It takes you to the top node of the current file. Once there, the icon remains active, although it then does nothing. Either it should then be deactivated, or (better, IMO) `Info-top-node' should take you to (dir) if you are already at the top of a manual. We already have the notion of "Home" being relative (different manuals have different homes), so letting it have two levels this way would not be disruptive - in a sense there _are_ two levels of "home" (or "top"). EDITING BUFFER -------------- - Folder (for "file): This is _not_ good. A folder icon is used ubiquitously for, well, a folder - that is, a directory. Suggestion: The new-file and existing-file icons should be very similar. Use the current new-file icon for both, but, in the case of new-file, make it slightly smaller and have tiny "sparkle" lines emanating from it ("[ ]" here represents a slightly smaller version of the current new-file icon): ` | ' - [ ] - ' | ` Such sparkle lines (I don't know the real term) are often used to indicate action, change of state, newness, or creation. Alternative suggestion (perhaps better): Put just a tiny sparkle star in one corner of the new-file icon. Example: http://did.mat.uni-bayreuth.de/geonext/ru/start.html?CONTENT=help&head=Dokum entation - Directory (Dired): Suggestion: Use a regular folder icon. Duh? - Tooltip for Directory: Suggestion: Mention "Dired" - "Operate on files in directory (Dired)". - Help: Suggestion (my preference): Use a large, lowercase "i" in a circle, the international symbol for information. Alternative suggestion (but I prefer the one above): Use a question mark (?) in a circle. A question mark is closer to the meaning of Help, but Emacs Help is more than help; it's really an Information center. BTW - Why is the Help icon not available in an Info buffer (in all buffers)? - Preferences: This wrench+screwdriver icon is commonly used for Preferences, so it will be recognized by users. However, although common, it is not a good choice for preferences, and it can be confused with the kind of thing that is in the Tools menu. Suggestion: Use an icon with a pair of checkboxes, one checked, one unchecked. Examples: http://did.mat.uni-bayreuth.de/geonext/ru/start.html?CONTENT=help&head=Dokum entation, http://www.tobiasjung.net/html/popmonitor.php, http://www.databeacon.com/rele60/rele/user/help/general_preferences.htm, http://www.ej-technologies.com/products/install4j/tour.html, http://www.aurora-solutions.net/trn/discover/userguide.htm, http://argouml.tigris.org/documentation/defaulthtml/manual/ch09s04.html, http://www.boreas.dti.ne.jp/~air1/ud/ud_sr1.html, http://wildfruit.gayone.com/sys13/tour/2.html, http://www.inklineglobal.com/products/mb/. In GNU Emacs 21.3.50.1 (i386-mingw-nt5.1.2600) of 2005-01-30 on NONIQPC Distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 5.1.2600 configured using `configure --with-gcc (3.3) --cflags -I../../jpeg-6b-3/include -I../../libpng-1.2.8/include -I../../tiff-3.6.1-2/include -I../../xpm-nox-4.2.0/include -I../../zlib-1.2.2/include'