On Tue, May 16, 2006 at 12:02:39PM +0200, Thomas Huriaux wrote: > Wouter Verhelst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> (16/05/2006): > > Sorry, no, I do not agree that "password:" is a better way to ask for a > > password than "Enter your password:" or "What is your password?", as the > > latter two give more information; the phrase "Enter your password" makes > > it clear to the user that they should enter a password that they already > > have. Using an input field description like "What is your password?" or, > > better yet, "What password do you want?", OTOH, could request for the > > user to _invent_ a password. > > > > Both could be asked with a "password:" description; but that isn't as > > clear. > > You are not taking in account: > - the contextual information: a debconf screen stopping the installation > process with a "password:" prompt (or input field, as you prefer, it is > only a matter of interpretation) make it obvious for the user that > he/she has to enter something. > > - the long description, that should explain what will occurr if the user > doesn't type anything, types a wrong password, etc. > The short description is not there to contain all the contextual and > extended information.
No; but it should be enough so that knowledgeable people know what they're expected to enter. With just a "password:" you don't do that. (though we're really on a tangent here -- oh well) > > It is my experience and opinion that in a project as large as Debian, > > which has twice as many opinions as there are people participating (or > > so), achieving "consistency" is an impossible goal. > > I'm a bit disappointed by this statement. Having diversity does not mean > that we can't try to unify some parts of the system. > With this position, you are obsoleting every kind of guidelines, > best-practice guides, etc. Well, not really; I just meant that I don't think consistency is a reasonable goal to achieve, and, mostly, that I don't accept that changes are necessary "in the name of consistency" if whatever everyone else is doing happens to be braindead (at least IMHO). Given two equally valid options, it surely makes a load of sense to pick the same one twice in the name of consistency. But that doesn't apply to this situation, IMO. -- Fun will now commence -- Seven Of Nine, "Ashes to Ashes", stardate 53679.4 -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
