|
|
On 2006-08-31, Dik T. Winter <Dik.Winter@xxxxxx> wrote:
> In article <1156979359.914305.248640@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> "Peter T.
> Daniels" <grammatim@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
> > Dik T. Winter wrote:
> ...
> > > > >"Key bindings" is the wrong term.
> > > >
> > > > Keyboard shortcuts.
> > >
> > > Who dictates that "key bindings" is the wrong term?
> >
> > The English language? If that phrase had occurred out of context, no
> > one could have guessed what was intended.
>
> The term has been coined by a native English (or rather American) speaker.
> And your 'no one' is a pretty limited 'no one'.
The reason for preferring 'key bindings' to 'keyboard shortcuts' is
actually a linguistic one. There is a verb 'bind' corresponding to the
noun 'key binding'. There is no such obvious verb for 'keyboard
shortcut', and so the latter term does not adequately suggest the fact
that shortcuts can be changed (which they can even in Word). This
becomes relevant because users of a program like Emacs (which is what
LSD referred to when he mentioned Richard Stallman, and also Dik
above) routinely rebind keys to suit their own needs and preferences,
or even write their own little bits of code which they then bind to a
key combination.
Lars
|
|