Re: Capitalization question - Microsoft Manual of Style

[Yves JEAUROND <jingting -at- rogers -dot- com>]

Kevin Amery <kevindamery -at- gmail -dot- com> a écrit :
  Uhhh, if anything in there is an adjective, it's Minimize, not button.
[...]
   
  Huh?? I thought "minimize" was the imperative of a verb, :-)
used as a proper noun to "name a particular one of a class [of places]" (OED: noun).
  and that transmogrifying it into a pseudo-adjective is just bad usage,
or marketing jargon, for "the button [that is] labeled as: 'Minimize'".
   
  == Template for Strange Syntax/Usage: Adding a name's noun to a name  ==
  The Brazil country...
  The _Concise Oxford English Dictionary_ book...
  My Charlie cat...
  My Hank friend...
  The Minimize button...
  The Atlantic Ocean ocean... <sigh>      
   
    Just write "click Minimize", as you would "call Hank".
  You can even bold the label, as most SW GUIs do.
   

  There's a funny cartoon by Larson in The Far Side, that's much more
effective at making all of this ridiculous; where a guy has painted
 the noun of objects on them, as if their common noun was a name.
  The caption reads: "Now... That should clear up a few things around here." 
  http://www.unige.ch/lettres/philo/enseignants/philipp/teaching/langage.html
   
  And if you need to get technical about language with an engineer, tell 
  them that the goal of a title, item in a GUI, or other proper noun,
  is "a set of words by which something is referred to" (OED:name). 
  Then ask if a C++ variable or pointer needs the word 'pointer' or 'variable'
  next to it, everytime they use that particular item?
   
  Regards,
   
  YJ

Kevin Amery <kevindamery -at- gmail -dot- com> a écrit :
  On 4/18/07, sbuckley wrote:
> Think of "Minimize" more as main subject. There is a button called
> "Minimize" (either actually on the button or name given to a button with an
> icon). "Button" in this case is more of an adjective.
>
> "Which button?"
>
> "The Minimize button."
>
>

Uhhh, if anything in there is an adjective, it's Minimize, not button.
"Button" doesn't modify anything: "Minimize" modifies "button."

However, I agree that Minimize should be capitalized but button should
not. Minimize is what identifies the object to be clicked. It may not
have a caption or tooltip, but if it did, that caption or tooltip
would be "Minimize" (which to me is good enough to invoke the
"capitalize what the user sees in the UI" rule).

-- 
Until next time...

Kevin Amery
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