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From: ari@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Ari Halberstadt)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer,comp.sys.mac
Subject: Time for standard cmd-keys & menu command locations
Summary: Outline of incompatability problem in user interface of mac software
Message-ID: <15720@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU>
Date: 20 Sep 89 01:59:23 GMT
Reply-To: ari@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Ari Halberstadt)
Followup-To: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Lines: 47

The mac is supposed to present a simple and common user interface to all
users. This simple but powerful concept is being ignored over and over
again by many programs. It is time Macintosh programmers agree on
a standard for such things: if it's going to be "Search", then let's always
call it search, not "Find". Similarly, command key combinations should
be consistent. For example, "Search Again" could use cmd-G, not cmd-A
or cmd-T or whatever weird combinations occur to programmers at 2AM.
Finally, as to the placement of commands in menus: why must I always "hunt-
and-peck" for a command every time I switch applications???

The following questions occur to me:
1. Is there any consensus on what command keys to assign to 
menu commands?
2. Are there standard names for common commands?
3. Are there standard places to put these commands?

Examples of the kind of mess we're faced with follow:

Find		cmd-F
Search		cmd-S
Find Again	cmd-A/cmd-G
Replace		cmd-H/cmd-R
Change		cmd-H/cmd-???
Replace and find cmd-H/cmd-R
Select All	cmd-A (or no command key :-()

As you can see, there isn't much of a standard. Since nearly every program 
has its own version of these features, wouldn't it be nice to have a standard?
Each time I go into another program, I keep on running into these silly
inconsistencies, and it takes me forever just to get used to it [and then
I have to switch to another program :-(]. At least Apple standardised
the "Edit" menu; could imagine if every programmer gave different names
and keys to that menu?

Another question: when are Mac programmers going to decide on a standard
place to put commonly used commands? That is, under what menu will these
commands be found? [I hope no one messes up as much as Microsoft Word 4.0].

Please, submit ideas and I can summarize. This is not a formal call
on votes, or a call for a passionate debate on the merits of "Find"
versus "Search". Rather, this is a prelude to such a debate...

--

-- Ari Halberstadt '91, "Long live succinct signatures"
E-mail: ari@eleazar.dartmouth.edu
Disclaimer: "Live Free or Die"