Action button labels, again


The compass directions thing isn't, it and the arrows comradekingu wants each add more rules for no reason, "new buttons later will need to also be cardinal directions," "new buttons later will need to also be arrows," those rules would limit the design freedom down the line.
What new buttons? There's no new buttons coming. We have 6, and at this point that's not going to change for the life-cycle of the product. Whatever we do here no more sets rules for future devices than the Pandora's layout does for the Pyra, and if that's the case, it's already too late and the precedent is already set.

- Neelix
 
I have a hard time believing that most peoples first association will be cardinal directions

Interesting, what do you think most peoples association will be with :


     N 


W      E


     S

It's hard for me to 'unsee' that these are the cardinal points of the compass.

@Tenka : Not sure I seed the need for more buttons or the logic in trying to design a system based around this possibility. However, There are plenty of ways of adding extra buttons and maintaining the compass theme, such as NE & SE for extra buttons to the right of the main 4 etc.
 
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Might there be confusion over 'home' meaning 'go to top of page' in the PC sense, and 'home' meaning 'go to main menu' in the smartphone sense?
 
The next step is obviously 8 face action buttons.

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I might get them confused with 3,x,i,e,w,and m on the keyboard, but seriously, I don'tlike the way they look. How would the buttons be displayed? Through pictures?

Might there be confusion over 'home' meaning 'go to top of page' in the PC sense, and 'home' meaning 'go to main menu' in the smartphone sense?
"Home" would be surrounded by the other PC symbols. If any confusion, it should only be a small moment.
 
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Might there be confusion over 'home' meaning 'go to top of page' in the PC sense, and 'home' meaning 'go to main menu' in the smartphone sense?
Is there any smartphone that labels its physical or on-screen home button with the word "HOME"? I haven't seen a single one yet that does that.
 
Might there be confusion over 'home' meaning 'go to top of page' in the PC sense, and 'home' meaning 'go to main menu' in the smartphone sense?
 Is there any smartphone that labels its physical or on-screen home button with the word "HOME"? I haven't seen a single one yet that does that.
I meant to say this too. No, I don't think there's any, or at least modern phones, that actually say home.
 
Looking at one of _wb_'s latest keyboard layouts I reconsidered the symbols used for Home, End PgUp, and PgDn.  While I think I could get used to and as Home and End, I still don't like and as PgUp and PgDn.
To me, and would seem like better candidates. Thoughts?

- Neelix
 
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That shows the symbols in use,  but doesn't give any indication how widespread they are.   It also doesn't change the fact that as  symbols they are not terribly intuitive ones for any that are not already familiar with them.  In that article the symbol is used along with the key name, not in isolation, so there is no need to guess at it's meaning.

- Neelix
 
That shows the symbols in use,  but doesn't give any indication how widespread they are.   It also doesn't change the fact that as  symbols they are not terribly intuitive ones for any that are not already familiar with them.  In that article the symbol is used along with the key name, not in isolation, so there is no need to guess at it's meaning.

- Neelix
I point to that article mostly to show that having Home/End/PgUp/PgDn/Del in a cluster without Ins is something that is sometimes done. In a sense, Del and Backspace are more related and more symmetrically opposite than Del and Ins, so making the two extra action buttons Del and Backspace could be a good idea.
 
Xbox-controller with attachment. That they are otherwise separate in my mind tells me they should remain so, when also the example I can think of doesnt mix the two.

Stick to what is known, stick to what works. Fix things that are broken. If you change a central concept you run the risk of failing on a basic level.
 
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Xbox-controller with attachment. That they are otherwise separate in my mind tells me they should remain so, when also the example I can think of doesnt mix the two.

Stick to what is known, stick to what works. Fix things that are broken. If you change a central concept you run the risk of failing on a basic level.
It would be a major waste to not use the "game" part in the keyboard. The dpad, action buttons and shoulder buttons are an excellent implementation of arrow keys, home/end/pgup/pgdn/something/something, and modifier keys. In many ways actually better than the way they are implemented on a normal keyboard.
 
I point to that article mostly to show that having Home/End/PgUp/PgDn/Del in a cluster without Ins is something that is sometimes done. In a sense, Del and Backspace are more related and more symmetrically opposite than Del and Ins, so making the two extra action buttons Del and Backspace could be a good idea.
Ahh.  To that I would argue that just because it has been done that way before doesn't necessarily make that a good idea, or one we should emulate.   :)

- Neelix
 
And I'm used to using Shift+Insert. Surely insert can go somewhere. Delete could be FN+Backspace.
 
Yes, deviating from the tried and tested is a risk.... 

But if we only stick to what is known, that leaves no room for innovation.

Anything great, anything now standard... started off as a deviation and a risk.

A risk worth taking!

Don't be afraid of failure... be afraid of never taking risks....
 
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