In related news, this post is posted from a Mac. And I claim that any OS where it takes over 15 mins (with the help of Google) to figure out how to take, edit and save a screenshot is NOT userfriendly.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Office for Mac Icons
I wonder if I'm the only person who thinks that the icons for Microsoft Office for Mac look like the Hebrew letters aleph, kuf and shin.
In related news, this post is posted from a Mac. And I claim that any OS where it takes over 15 mins (with the help of Google) to figure out how to take, edit and save a screenshot is NOT userfriendly.
In related news, this post is posted from a Mac. And I claim that any OS where it takes over 15 mins (with the help of Google) to figure out how to take, edit and save a screenshot is NOT userfriendly.
Press CMD-Space and type in grab, then press enter. That's it.
ReplyDeleteNo, I always thought they did, too.
ReplyDeleteOh, and Anonymous is lying through its teeth. You need to installl LaunchBar in order to do that. But the Grab Application is still your friend.
ReplyDeleteAnyway Eli, who uses GUI when you have Terminal! Does your Windows have that?
And the icon for Entourage looks like the cursive version of shin. So, anybody familiar with Hebrew fonts who can track down the source?
ReplyDeleteI noticed this too... even googled "hebrew letters office 08"
ReplyDeleteApple-shift-4 for a custom sized screen shot, or Apple-shift-3 for a full-screen shot
ReplyDeleteAnd to think I was the only one that thought this!
ReplyDeleteAlso the umbrella Office icon looks like the Hebrew letter samech, doesn't it?
I am sure it was intentional. I have thought this since first seeing Mac's new icons, and the verisimilitude is simply too good to be accidental. I would bet it was an internal joke among Mac's graphic design team. It actually disturbs me; I think the icons for such universally used software are not the place for a culturally specific reference. I happen to be Jewish and ask myself how I would have felt if Mac's new icons had looked strikingly like a cross, a Christmas tree and a mistletoe. I realize that Hebrew letters are part of a language, not a religion, but I see no reason for any sort of covert nod to any particular language or group of people other than English and English-speaking in the English-language version of Macintosh software. I hope Mac rescinds its self-amusement in the next version.
ReplyDeleteI completely disagree with Wendy. The letters are recognizable as hebrew letters only to those who know hebrew. Anybody would recognize a cross, a christmas tree, or mistletoe. Hebrew letters are WAY less recognizable by your average user. You can't compare Kuph to a cross. That's ridiculous.
ReplyDeletegood point Anonymous (the last one)
ReplyDeleteI think it was a dumb inside joke, which surely didn't fall dumb on much of Microsoft's market in the Muslim world, where I'm sure this short-sighted stunt has cost Microsoft some business. (I don't agree that it should have!, but reality is reality)
ReplyDeleteIt's not an inside joke, although the designers think it is. It has mystical significance. Is anyone smart enough to work out its meaning?
ReplyDeleteWhat's interesting is that they are backtracking. Notice how the Excel icon used to look exactly like an aleph and now it's starting to look like a normal X. The W used to look very similar to the shin and now it's starting to look like a normal W.
Seems like in a few years, Microsoft Office 2016 will have letters that bear no resemblance to hebrew letters at all....
@Richard Yeah, I just checked out the current icons, and they're back to being stylized English letters. I really do wonder what the story behind all this is, though. What is this "mystical significance" you're referring to?
ReplyDelete