Re: <dialog> and the

On Wed, 28 Jan 2009, Aaron M Leventhal wrote:
>
> Are you sure it's not HTML 5 that's confusing?
> 
> I always thought that in the world of software terminology, a dialog was 
> a dialog box, and a dialogue was a conversation. A lot of other 
> developers will think that too, when they see there is an HTML tag 
> called dialog.

I don't think that confusion would last very long, since any example of 
the element would show what it was for pretty quickly. It'd like confusing 
<input> for <kbd> -- sure, I suppose you could be confused about the word 
"input" when you first see it, but it'll be pretty clear as soon as you 
try it that it's nothing to do with marking up sample user input, and 
everything to do with providing a way to get input from the user.


> Why not just call it a conversation if that's what it is?

It's not just for conversations. For example, a speech could use it, as 
could a movie script, or an IRC log. The content could be a conversation, 
but it could also be an argument, or a drill sergeant's routine, or a 
comedy skit, or instructions given by a teacher to her students.

-- 
Ian Hickson               U+1047E                )\._.,--....,'``.    fL
http://ln.hixie.ch/       U+263A                /,   _.. \   _\  ;`._ ,.
Things that are impossible just take longer.   `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'

Received on Wednesday, 28 January 2009 08:18:44 UTC