atw: Re: Mouses??
- From: Howard.Silcock@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 13:04:50 +1000
I'd like to echo Stuart here. Can someone who finds 'mice' objectionable
maybe explain WHY?
I knew that Microsoft advocated 'mouse devices', but they don't explain
why, or what's wrong with 'mice', either.
The device was named after the animal, after all, wasn't it? Should we
start saying that gears and combs have 'tooths'? I can't help feeling that
the objection to 'mice' is based on some idea that computers are too
dignified to be sullied with names borrowed from 'ordinary' objects, let
alone such trivial and childish animals. Perhaps the thinking is "we're
stuck with 'mouse' now, but surely we can't be expected to carry this
undignified metaphor any *further*"?
Howard
Howard Silcock
Technical Writer
ADI Limited
Electronic Systems
1 Phipps Close, Deakin, ACT 2600
Ph. +61 2 6234 6075
Fax +61 2 6234 6011
Email: howard.silcock@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Web page: www.adi-limited.com.au
Stuart Burnfield <sburnf@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent by: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
28/09/2006 11:25 AM
Please respond to austechwriter
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
cc:
Subject: atw: Re: Mouses??
Janice Gelb wrote:
> While I think "mouses" is ridiculous, I also
> object to "mice" for the plural. Our style guide
> recommends "mouse devices" if you really need a
> plural but most of the time we try to rewrite
> so as to use the singular.
So you seem to be saying that the computer mouse shouldn't have a plural
form ("mouses" ridiculous; "mice" objectionable; "mouse devices" to be
avoided). Why?
BTW the IBM Word Usage database says 'Use "mice" as the plural of
"mouse."'
---
Stuart Burnfield
Information Developer
IBM Australia Development Laboratory (ADL), Perth
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