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View Full Version : Patronizing names for applications in Ubuntu.



ooobuntooo
August 25th, 2008, 01:28 PM
"Firefox Web Browser" I know Firefox is a web browser!
"GIMP Image Editor" /facepalm
All the applications are named like this and it's really annoying!

blithen
August 25th, 2008, 01:30 PM
...Kay?

Bachstelze
August 25th, 2008, 01:33 PM
Ooh, if it isn't our favourite troll?

If you don't like that, just change it...

pmlxuser
August 25th, 2008, 01:37 PM
well since when have you noticed the annoyance. I guess it depends on how long you have used linux. the newer you are the more helpful the naming is; if you were used ti IE for internet then having something like Firefoer web browser is ver helpful i think (i remain to be corrected). But i think the names don't really matter but the perfomance.

in My sofware development class i was taught to make names of programm /app more meaningful. I don't think any other name is more meaningful than in linux apps

forger
August 25th, 2008, 01:38 PM
So you kind of know that "Internet Explorer" is an archaelogist that goes through your old internet stuff? /talktothepawtiger
Oh you know what, there's http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com where you can actually submit your ideas and not whine about them :)

I actually like how they named them, it tells you what that application does without opening it

billgoldberg
August 25th, 2008, 01:42 PM
"Firefox Web Browser" I know Firefox is a web browser!
"GIMP Image Editor" /facepalm
All the applications are named like this and it's really annoying!

Not everyone knows that "firefox" is a browser or "totem" is a video player.

Mazza558
August 25th, 2008, 01:46 PM
Not everyone knows that "firefox" is a browser or "totem" is a video player.

This.

It's more newbie-friendly.

Dremora
August 25th, 2008, 01:56 PM
I don't think it's friendly enough.

They should name things like this:

"Terminal Terminal"
"Calculator Calculator"
"Sound Recorder Sound Recorder"

:popcorn:

ooobuntooo
August 25th, 2008, 02:06 PM
well since when have you noticed the annoyance. I guess it depends on how long you have used linux. the newer you are the more helpful the naming is; if you were used ti IE for internet then having something like Firefoer web browser is ver helpful i think (i remain to be corrected). But i think the names don't really matter but the perfomance.

in My sofware development class i was taught to make names of programm /app more meaningful. I don't think any other name is more meaningful than in linux apps

I thought the people who discovered Linux would've heard of open-source applications like Firefox. I used Firefox on XP before I used Linux.


Not everyone knows that "firefox" is a browser or "totem" is a video player.

Point taken, but what about Windows apps like Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint etc..

Tomosaur
August 25th, 2008, 02:18 PM
I thought the people who discovered Linux would've heard of open-source applications like Firefox. I used Firefox on XP before I used Linux.

You != Everyone else. It makes sense to use descriptive names for those who haven't heard of the programs before.



Point taken, but what about Windows apps like Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint etc..
What about them? They are terrible names, and the only reason anybody knows what they actually do is because most people haven't used anything else. 'Outlook' sounds like a search program, not an e-mail client. The only MS Office program which is even remotely descriptive is 'Word', and even that could be a dictionary.

For illustrative purposes, the OpenOffice word processor is called 'Write', which makes a hell of a lot more sense than 'Word'.

fluteflute
August 25th, 2008, 04:09 PM
I don't think I really read the text anyway, I just click the icon (or the text next to it).

The one that did annoy me though was changing "Sound Juicer" to "Audio CD Extractor". The only reason I noticed was I was looking for it at the bottom of the list rather than the top (alphabetical order). It does seem a shame to discard the name chosen by the creator completely.

That all sounded rather negative, but I do appreciate the renaming of these menu items is very useful to new linux/oss users.

chucky chuckaluck
August 25th, 2008, 05:11 PM
xterm - i know it's for x, damn you!

geoken
August 25th, 2008, 05:31 PM
What about them? They are terrible names, and the only reason anybody knows what they actually do is because most people haven't used anything else. 'Outlook' sounds like a search program, not an e-mail client. The only MS Office program which is even remotely descriptive is 'Word', and even that could be a dictionary.



At work I've had to instruct people numerous times on how to find Excel. Even though they've used the app before they didn't even know what it was called.

zmjjmz
August 25th, 2008, 05:36 PM
You _can_ rename the items.

Kernel Sanders
August 25th, 2008, 05:37 PM
*yawns*

It's not patronizing, it's simply making the programs more descriptive for new users.

*yawns again*

aysiu
August 25th, 2008, 06:41 PM
While one might be able to make the case that most Ubuntu users will know Firefox is a web browser, I don't think it's fair to assume that people know GIMP is an image editor or the Gedit is a text editor. It's not patronizing at all.

If you're such a pro who won't be talked down to by the menus, what are you using the menus for? Create some keyboard shortcuts for the applications you use most often. Or (*gasp*) change the menu descriptions yourself.

In the over three years I've spent on these forums, this is the first time I've ever heard anyone complain about those descriptors. I hope you were kidding. Most of the complaints have been the other way coming from new users (back in Ubuntu 5.04, I don't think the descriptors were there).