Home folder?

[Waldo Bastian]

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On Wednesday 22 October 2003 12:23 pm, Allan Sandfeld Jensen wrote:
> On Wednesday 22 October 2003 12:03, Craig Drummond wrote:
> > > imo its "Home" or "Home directory" but never "Home folder"
> >
> > I have no problem with "Home" - but if all other "folders" are to be
> > called "folder", why not home? What makes it so special? If "Home" is
> > *really* prefered over "Home Folder", then I'll change it - would just
> > like a *good* (non-programmer) reason.
>
> I also prefer just "Home". The non-programmer reason is that "Home Folder"
> sounds stupid (you cant have your home in a folder). If it has to be a
> folder it's a private folder or "my folder" ;)

"Personal Folder" The KDE menu already gives "Personal Files" as description 
for Home.

It does miss a certain distinction though... both $HOME and $HOME/Documents 
are personal folders. $HOME is special: it is the mother of all personal 
folders. Taken that into account I think that "Home Folder" is the correct 
term to identify this particular personal folder.

As far as sounding stupid, I think that's mostly a matter of needing to get 
used to it. Please keep in mind that "home" doesn't refer so much to the 
physical building as well as to "place of origin", but you can't draw 
pictures of abstract concepts so in the icon you will have to settle for the 
closest physical representation of the concept.

Check for example http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=home :
1. A place where one lives; a residence.
2. The physical structure within which one lives, such as a house or 
apartment.

but also

6. The native habitat, as of a plant or animal.
7. The place where something is discovered, founded, developed, or promoted; a 
source.
8. A headquarters; a home base.
9a. Baseball. Home plate.
9b. Games. Home base.
...
11. Computer Science. 
The starting position of the cursor on a text-based computer display, usually 
in the upper left corner of the screen. A starting position within a computer 
application, such as the beginning of a line, file, or screen or the top of a 
chart or list.

Cheers,
Waldo
- -- 
bastian at kde.org -=|[ SUSE, The Linux Desktop Experts ]|=- bastian at suse.com
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