Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bbn!rochester!rutgers!iuvax!pur-ee!uiucdcs!uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!ccvaxa!aglew From: aglew@ccvaxa.UUCP Newsgroups: comp.emacs Subject: Re: gnumacs bindings Message-ID: <28500018@ccvaxa> Date: Sun, 20-Sep-87 14:45:00 EDT Article-I.D.: ccvaxa.28500018 Posted: Sun Sep 20 14:45:00 1987 Date-Received: Tue, 22-Sep-87 01:38:43 EDT References: <3720007@hpsemc.UUCP> Lines: 63 Nf-ID: #R:hpsemc.UUCP:3720007:ccvaxa:28500018:000:3218 Nf-From: ccvaxa.UUCP!aglew Sep 20 13:45:00 1987 >/* Written 7:23 pm Sep 18, 1987 by karl@haddock.ISC.COM in ccvaxa:comp.emacs */ >In article <28500016@ccvaxa> aglew@ccvaxa.UUCP writes: >>Help remove language dependent biases! >>^H doesn't have any mnemonic value for help, if you are French. > >If you remove the language-dependent mnemonics, what sort of mnemonics do you >have left? > >Karl W. Z. Heuer (ima!haddock!karl or karl@haddock.isc.com), The Walking Lint >/* End of text from ccvaxa:comp.emacs */ > There are a large number of symbols that are pretty well shared by all people who speak European languages, or languages that employ a Roman script. Moreover, most East Asians understand them too. Question mark, "?", is pretty universal. ? is a much better choice than ^H for help. Consider: I come too a program that displays stuff on my screen, and I'm not quite sure what language it's in. Eg. I may be editing a French file with an English editor. Do I cry "Au secours!" or "help!". I'm frazzled, so I use my native language. Oops, deleted the whole file. ? is a much better choice. As someone who has played with international software a lot, fiddling with ? is my first reflex when looking for a help command. Unfortunately, for EMACS, "\e?" is a prefix for many function keys. But "\^x?" isn't taken. That's my help key. As is "\^_" on my tvi9220 keyboard, which is generated by the key control-question mark. Writing software for an international audience, you don't have to remove all native-language mnemonic value. But if you put the most basic function, help, that conveniently takes you to a help system that (1) tells you what language the system is using, and (2) lets you change that language, if possible, on a language independent key like ? you're well away. Other language independent symbols: - arrows are usually understood the same way by most cultures. - take a look at the upper row of a QWERTY keyboard - it has a lot of good choices, although some are remapped in alternate character sets: -- ! will be understood by most peoples to be CAUTION -- $ is a fairly universally understood currency symbol. Even if it is remapped, it is usually remapped to another currency symbol. Currency => money => cost, can be used as a metaphor for time (but that's stretching it, and imposing Calvinistic morality) - the word STOP is becoming an international standard. Many non-English countries use it on their stop signs. And, of course, graphics provides a whole slew of possibilities. As I said, most don't apply to a character based editor like EMACS (and I don't have X on my home machine yet), but the first, most basic rule - put help on the ? key - is something that we could do. Andy "Krazy" Glew. Gould CSD-Urbana. USEnet: ihnp4!uiucdcs!ccvaxa!aglew 1101 E. University, Urbana, IL 61801 ARPAnet: aglew@gswd-vms.arpa I always felt that disclaimers were silly and affected, but there are people who let themselves be affected by silly things, so: my opinions are my own, and not the opinions of my employer, or any other organisation with which I am affiliated. I indicate my employer only so that other people may account for any possible bias I may have towards my employer's products or ss (ibibi