[mew-int 00531] Re: mew-pop message wording inquiry

[sen_ml at example.com]

From: Kazu Yamamoto (山本和彦) <kazu at example.com>
Subject: [mew-int 00528] Re: mew-pop message wording inquiry
Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 18:45:15 +0900 (JST)

...

> > P.S. On a slightly different note, I think "5 messages retrieved" is
> >      preferable to "5 messages have been received".
> 
> Would you please explain why?

Sure.  Here are a few reasons:

  1) I believe the word "retrieved" is more commonly used in the
     context of a user invoking the action of downloading mail from a
     server than the phrase "have been received".  Perhaps other
     English speakers may disagree, but that has been my experience.

  2) A user will see the message in question after invoking
     `mew-summary-retrieve' -- since the user has invoked a
     "retrieval" operation, seeing it reported as completed in the
     form of "retrieved" seems quite natural.  Other ways to phrase
     the message might be "retrieval completed" or "retrieval of 5
     message completed", but then the messages are getting a bit long.

  3) In the context of novice users who might be confused about
     "left", it seems likely to me that they may not understand where
     the messages are left -- cf. Tak Ota's discussion.  Consequently,
     it does not seem unreasonable to suppose that such people might
     also be confused by where message "have been received" to.

Is this clear?