Iconitis

[Walter Bright]

In article <10115 at megaron.arizona.edu> robert at arizona.edu (Robert J. Drabek) writes:
>In article <1930 at dataio.Data-IO.COM>, bright at Data-IO.COM (Walter Bright) writes:
<< I've also seen a lot of effort expended to come up with an icon for 'Help'.
<< Those people got mad when I suggested the string 'Help' would do nicely.
<"Help" is just fine as long as you read English.

It's also fine if you don't read English, because it's easily found in
a dictionary. For icons, there is no dictionary, and if there was, what
is the lexicographic order? (P.S. How do the Chinese find their icons
in a dictionary?)

<The reading speed of native Chinese and native English literates is very
<close.  From my observation, the Chinese system may even have a (very)
<slight advantage.

I propose then that the Mac icons be replace with Chinese icons. The
advantages are:
1. A billion people already know it.
2. It's standardized.
3. It can't be copyrighted.
Frankly, what's the difference. I need an idiot card with the icons and what
they mean when I use a Mac, it makes no difference if they were Chinese
icons (and at least I'd learn something I could use elsewhere).

<Want to go to Czechoslovakia and try that [getting by in a resturant]?

I've been to Europe and have gotten by ok with my trusty dictionary. This
technique failed on my trip to Japan 'cuz I couldn't figure out how to use
the Japanese dictionary!