[Libreoffice-ux-advise] [Bug 156795] Avoid using typesetter language "widow" and "orphan"

[bugzilla-daemon at bugs.documentfoundation.org]

https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=156795

--- Comment #13 from Kazinator <kaz at kylheku.com> ---
> Please! The OP in tdf#156109 had *never* asked for a rename. They may have
> absolutely no desire to rename these; you don't even know, maybe they would
> *oppose* this new idea. But you effectively destroy that request. It would
> be OK to close it WF if so decided - but this action masks, hides the
> request; in the end, it could pretend to *implement* that request...
> 
> Please do not!

I am that OP, and that is not true. I share the exact opinion of the OP of this
bug. Somewhere in #156109, I wrote these words, which are exactly the topic of
this item:

Kazinator> Orphan and Widow are some kind of typesetting jargon whose metaphor
not 
Kazinator> everyone might understand[.]


This like when the UI in Android phones warns the user that a SD card was not
unmounted before being removed, expecting the population to be familiar with
Unix jargon and commands.

:)

However, it is true that I did not make terminology the focus of #156109.

The terminology, as such, is fine. Software can play a role in teaching users
concepts and terminology. You can have "widow" and "orphan" if there is some
tooltip, "learn more ..." link or whatever where they can get an explanation
what that means.

If you're a domain expert writing software, you can use its user interface and
documentation to educate users in that domain (alongside having the software
perform it "payload" tasks). You don't have to dumb down all the terminology so
that other domain experts are confused or find it ridiculous, and you don't
have to alienate users who don't understand the jargon.

Where do you draw the line between typesetting jargon that is acceptable to Joe
Sixpack and that is too advanced?

How about "hanging indentation", "margin", "justification", "drop caps",
"kerning" ...

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