[haiku-development] Re: Key roles vs. key label in menus

On 2011-11-17 at 16:45:45 [+0100], Axel Dörfler <axeld@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
wrote:
> On 11/16/2011 09:20 PM, John Scipione wrote:
> > We can use the PLACE OF INTEREST (0xe28c98) for B_COMMAND_KEY, OPTION
> > KEY (0xe28xaf) for B_OPTION_KEY, ^ for B_CONTROL_KEY (0x5e), UPWARDS
> > WHITE ARROW (0xe287a7) for B_SHIFT_KEY and UPWARDS WHITE ARROW FROM
> > BAR (0xe287aa) for B_CAPS_KEY.
> 
> I'm not against translating them, but I think those symbols are strongly
> connotated with Apple. Using them would just look like we want to be
> like Apple, and that would certainly give the wrong impression.

FWIW I couldn't care less what people might or might not think in this 
regard, as long as our solution is good.

> I don't
> particularly like it, therefore, but I'm a fan of having text instead of
> images in the UI anyway - why use a hard to decipher icon (you'd have to
> learn what they mean) when there is a simple 4 letter word that makes
> everything clear?

Since using any of the modifier names used on Apple or Windows keyboards 
will definitely not make everything clear and coming up with reasonable 
hitherto unused names seems virtually impossible (feel free to prove me 
wrong :-)), I'm pretty much sold on the idea of using symbols. In Keymap 
things should be made clear (via tool tip or whatever), so people remapping 
keys understand what they are doing, but that should also be done when 
using words.

Whether the proposed symbols are the best, I don't know, but we can 
experiment with those anyway. Custom-made icons are probably an even better 
alternative.

CU, Ingo

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