Re: lexical question - recursion, capitalizing names

Subject: Re: lexical question - recursion, capitalizing names
From: Susan Stewart <susan -at- AVALANCHE -dot- COM>
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1993 12:34:01 -0600

Matt Hicks (in response to Lisa Kaytes)

> .......deletions.......
>Better still, to our way of thinking, a nonproportional font becomes a
>symbol indicating that the term is part of the program's dialect ("language"
>would be confusing here) and should not be treated as a regular part of the
>English language.
>........deletions.......
>it is better to use such descriptive terms than arcane, made-
>up ones, because it makes them easier for users to remember, which makes the
>system seem friendlier, which in the long run, should make our jobs easier.

I vote for (and use) a different font and descriptive terms. While I agree
(with whichever person it was that much earlier in this discussion argued)
that the use of multiple fonts on the same page is distracting, well-defined
and consistent use of a limited number of fonts makes the doc clearer and
more intuitive.

I also think users respond well to familiar terms. Why make the users
learn lots of new vocabulary just to use our product. Where it's *really*
necessary, I'll introduce new terms. Mostly I try to remember that the
user has enough new information to deal with without having to burn brain
cells trying to figure out what I'm talking about.

Susan Stewart
susan -at- avalanche -dot- com


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