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Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site dciem.UUCP
Path: utzoo!dciem!ntt
From: ntt@dciem.UUCP (Mark Brader)
Newsgroups: net.cog-eng
Subject: Re: Two cog-eng questions on displayed instructions to the user
Message-ID: <455@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 31-Oct-83 12:55:12 EST
Article-I.D.: dciem.455
Posted: Mon Oct 31 12:55:12 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 31-Oct-83 15:54:47 EST
References: <202@ihu1f.UUCP>
Organization: NTT Systems Inc., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 26

Joe Steffen (ihu1f!steffen) asks about:

         1A  Enter ? for help.
    vs.  1B  Type ? for help.

and:
         2A  Type <TAB> to go the next field.
    vs.  2B  Type TAB to go the next field.

He prefers the second alternative in each case.  I agree with 1B (some people
would read 1A to mean using the Enter key followed by the ? key), but for 2
I would like to suggest:

         2C  Use the TAB key to go to the next field.

This way, you won't get people typing the word TAB.  And I have seen novices
make exactly that mistake.

Alternatives for Use would include Press and Depress.  I don't like Depress
because it seems more suggestive of holding it down, like a shift key.
I think Use is obviously the best of these, in this context.
    (I cringe when I see "`Control-C' means to (de)press the CTRL and C keys
simultaneously", making no distinction between the two kinds of action.)

These are my own opinions only.
Mark Brader, NTT Systems Inc., Toronto