Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!yetti!geac!sigrid From: sigrid@geac.UUCP (Sigrid Grimm) Newsgroups: comp.cog-eng Subject: Re: comp.cog-eng Message-ID: <974@geac.UUCP> Date: Mon, 27-Jul-87 14:34:56 EDT Article-I.D.: geac.974 Posted: Mon Jul 27 14:34:56 1987 Date-Received: Tue, 28-Jul-87 01:36:06 EDT References: <386@sdics.ucsd.EDU> Reply-To: sigrid@geac.UUCP (Sigrid Grimm) Organization: The little blue rock next to that twinkly star Lines: 41 In article <386@sdics.ucsd.EDU> norman@sdics.UUCP (Donald A. Norman) writes: > >Sounds like a typical problem in human factors/ergonomics/ >human-computer interaction: selecting a name. > >The problem is all the thousands of readers on the net who do NOT know >those terms, but who can read into the abbreviated terms definitions >consitent with their own needs. > >I therefore recommend a FULL name, at least as full as possible given >the constraints of netnews. > [various good suggestions omitted] ... I like *all* the names suggested ... even the current one (which is undoubtedly well accepted by those who already associate "comp.cog-eng" with a "human-factors/man-machine interface/computer-human interface/ human performance engineering/human-machine interface/ergonomics" newsgroup). Can't we somehow employ the concept of aliasing here ? That way, all the thousands of readers on the net can pick terms which are meaningful to *them* ... oh, but then there's the problem of *assigning* the alias ... have to have some way of allowing the user to figure out what it is that he's aliasing ... maybe some kind of keyword search on a file of records having information about all the newsgroups ... then a menu of matched newsgroups ... maybe an opportunity to browse the matched newsgroups' information records ... then a choice from the menu (with option to cancel of course) ... then a request for a more preferable alias ... but that means first explaining the term "alias" to the kind of user who has to alias things using a menu ... hmmmm .... and geez ... what about the more sophisticated user ? he won't want to use menus to alias things .... some kind of interface selection toggle then ... hey ... maybe a whole new interface strategy for the News application ... yeh... that's the tickit ... A WHOLE NEW INTERFACE FOR THE NEWS APPLICATION !!! sigh ... oh well. I tried ... Sigrid @)------->------- "... who said reality was user friendly ?"