RE: Preferences versus defaults

["Andrew Warren" <awarren -at- synaptics -dot- com>]

Debra Graham wrote:

> I was asked to create a job aid on "setting default preferences
> on the Auto Carry Forward Config page."  
> 
> The term "default preferences" seems redundant to me

and Chris Vickery replied:

> "Default preferences" is not redundant. In our app, for example,
> we have user preferences that users can set to control how the
> application behaves. The original value for each preference,
> before they set anything, is "the default".

    Yeah, but if the people in Debra's organization saw it that
    way, they would have asked her to write about "changing"
    rather than "setting".

    I think that in her case, "default" IS redundant.

> Then I started thinking about options, settings, and so forth
> ....
> I know that asking Techwhirlers to come to a consensus is crazy
> but I was hoping to get *some* feedback on usage.

    Personally, I prefer "preferences" to "settings", I prefer
    them both to "options", and I think "defaults" is worse than
    almost anything else.

    If those words weren't already established as the expected
    names for user-adjustable parameters, though, I think I'd
    prefer "adjustments" to all of them.

    -Andrew

=== Andrew Warren  - awarren -at- synaptics -dot- com
=== Synaptics, Inc - Santa Clara, CA
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