Re: choose/select (for Anne C.)

["Wittel, Teresa J." <WITTTJ -at- NCSLINK -dot- COM>]

DON"T READ FURTHER -
UNLESS YOU'RE DYING TO KNOW MY OPINION ON THIS SUBJECT!

Responding to Ann C., who wrote:
Select and choose have specific meanings in the windows interface.
Select
means to identify an option that will be executed later.  Choose means
to
execute the option.  Choose, therefore, includes the action of selection
by
implication.  See Microsoft documentation for windows.

My humble ;-) response:
Microsoft doesn't like "choose" as a general rule (see MS styleguide).
They prefer "click" or "point" depending on the actual function of the
interface.  This is because Windows 95 doesn't always require an actual
click of the mouse to display a submenu and "choose" is too vague.  They
use "select" to refer to highlighting text and enabling checkbox
options.  (For example, "Select text and drag to the new location.")

However, since most of my stuff is written about the IBM AS/400, I can
use "choose" whenever I think it is appropriate (actually when the
company styleguide says so).  I think it is appropriate when the the
user must choose between available options, such as several menu
functions.

BTW, since everyone is bored to death over this subject, please reply to
me directly and send your email address so I can do likewise.

***********************************
Teresa Wittel
mailto:WITTTJ -at- ncslink -dot- com
Sr. Information Developer
NCS Education, Mesa AZ
***********************************

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