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Subject:RE: Field vs. text box? From:Alan Bucher <bucherino -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 4 Feb 2003 13:30:57 -0800 (PST)
I thought "field" went out of vogue years ago. (Certainly it's
forbidden by the Microsoft MoS, for those to whom that means
something.)
I use "text box" and have never encountered a new or experienced user
who didn't know what that was referring to. Certainly any advanced
user who's seen "field" can make the leap to "text box" with less
confusion than a new user can do the reverse.
I also don't believe in retaining terminology that is acknowledged to
be outdated just because the old-time users are used to the old-time
ways. It used to be that *every* control in a dialog was called a
"field", and now we have new, clearer terms for differentiating these
things (check box, drop-down list, text box, etc.). What benefits a
user most: when an application clings to the terminology it has
always had, or when it updates with the times to follow the
conventions of the majority of other apps out there?
DaveC wrote:
>The term "Field" -- as relates to a place on a web page where users
>are asked to fill in name, address, etc. -- when writing for *very*
>basic (inexperienced) Internet users, would "text box" be more
>appropriate?
>
>Anyone who's used a computer for more than a few months is used to
>the term "field," but my fear is that *very* naive beginners may
>stare at the screen looking for green grass, or golden grain, or
>something.
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