myerst%si03.DECnet@ESDVAX.ARPA.UUCP (04/04/87)
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 3-Apr-1987 16:47
From: Terry L Myers
Username: MYERST
Dept: SCOP
Tel No: 5554
TO: _MAILER! ( _DDN[INFO-APPLE@BRL.ARPA] )
Subject: Nomenclature Suggestion (Picky, one each)
When reading documentation or commentary, it's fine to use OA-N for
"Open-Apple Key" and "N" or CA-N for "Closed-Apple Key" and "N", but I get
a little impatient with this convention when talking. Why take five (or
four) syllables to describe two keys? Wouldn't it be just as
understandable and much quicker to say "White-N" or "Black-N"?
I realize this is a picky distiction, but I use a computer to do things
faster. Why should I waste 1000 milliseconds to say "O-pen Ap-ple" when I
can just say "White"?
This is just a random thought, thrown out for what it's worth. Please
don't reply unless you can think of a polite way to tell me I'm wasting
space.
Terry L Myers
Bedford, Mass
"So much has already been written about everything that you can't find out
anything about it." James Thurber
------god3@sphinx.UUCP (04/05/87)
In article <8704031910.aa04095@SPARK.BRL.ARPA>, myerst%si03.DECnet@ESDVAX.ARPA ("SI03::MYERST") writes: > I realize this is a picky distiction, but I use a computer to do things > faster. Why should I waste 1000 milliseconds to say "O-pen Ap-ple" when I > can just say "White"? > Yeah... good idea.... W-A for open-apple-A and B-A for closed apple-A Sure would make things simple... -- Peter Godwin | ...ihnp4!gargoyle!sphinx!god3 Univ. of Chicago Comp Ctr | x9.xpg@uchicago 5824 S. Kimbark Ave, #2419 | god3%sphinx@uchicago Chicago, IL 60637 | Phone #: 312-288-1816
Mandel%PCO@BCO-MULTICS.ARPA.UUCP (04/13/87)
Terry L. Myers suggests saving time by saying "White-N" and "Black-N" instead of "Open-Apple-N" and "Closed-Apple-N". On my keyboard the Open-Apple is dark brown outline with tan (=background) fill on a tan background, and the Closed-Apple is solid dark brown on a tan background. That's close enough to white and black, as a contrast; I won't quibble over it. BUT in the s/w that I've seen that displays these symbols on screen, the Open-Apple is glowing-green(amber,white-- call it "bright") outline with dark fill on a dark background, while the Closed-Apple is solid bright on a dark background. On the screen, the "white" and "black" are reversed. The only constant is whether the apple shape is formed by an outline and filled with the background color (Open-Apple) or solid against the background (Closed-Apple). Calling them "white" and "black" would introduce complete confusion to any environment where the symbols are presented bright on a dark background, as is the case most of the time when they are displayed on screen.