Re: Firefox extensions

On 5 Jan 2021 at 17:27, Wolf K wrote:

> On 2021-01-05 16:30, Jim Fisher wrote:
> > On 4 Jan 2021 at 20:28, The Real Bev wrote:
> > 
> >> On 01/04/2021 01:09 PM, Peter wrote:
> >>> On 1/4/2021 2:55 PM, The Real Bev wrote:
> >>>> I've configured Firefox 83 to look as much like the ancient versions as
> >>>> possible.  My top toolbar now shows < File Edit View History Bookmarks
> >>>> Tools Help > .  I know I had to do something special to get this, but
> >>>> looking at a list of my extensions and the .css files doesn't seem to show
> >>>> anything related to that.
> >>>>
> >>>> I only update when I get too many YOU NEED TO UPDATE YOUR BROWSER
> >>>> messages at websites I actually want to see, but I always worry about
> >>>> losing something important to me -- which is pretty much a 'given'.
> >>>>
> >>>> Anybody know how I got those items in the toolbar?
> >>>>
> >>>> And for extra credit, is there any way to get actual WORDS under the
> >>>> extension icons in the toolbars?  I have LOTS and they're too small to
> >>>> actually interpret even if I could actually do that.  Remember, I see the
> >>>> 'seatbelt' icon as "Ladies, please keep your knees together."
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>> Position the mouse cursor in the blank space on the right side of the
> >>> window tab and right click the mouse.  A short drop down menu should
> >>> appear that contains 7 items.  The 5th item is "Menu Bar", which will
> >>> have a check mark next to it when your File Edit View History Bookmarks
> >>> Tools Help headers are displayed.
> >>
> >> Nope.  Two items:  'Menu Bar' and 'Bookmarks Bar'.  Both checked.  No
> >> cycling, just off/on.  'Customize' at the bottom, which shows the
> >> 'overflow menu' which contains nothing I care about.
> >>
> >>> You can cycle those headers, which
> >>> Firefox designates as the "Menu Bar" by repetitively left clicking the
> >>> mouse while the cursor is positioned anywhere along that line of the
> >>> drop down menu.
> >>
> >> Nope, just off/on.  Photo here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/NgapRugfUTEKNqCv6
> >>
> >>> Can't help with icon titles.  Perhaps it's available in some Themes, but
> >>> I've never explored that.
> >>
> >> Real shame that some of feel comfier with words than pictures.
> > 
> > I thought hieroglyphics went out at around the time of the pharoahs. Never
> > understood why people want to switch back when using computers.
> > 
> > Jim Fisher
> > 
> 
> Erm, hieroglyphics aren't ideograms, they are logograms. A logogram 
> represents a word. Computer icons don't represent words, they represent 
> concepts.
> 
> Begin lesson :-)
> 
> Computer icons are technically ideograms, signs that represent concepts. 
> The most commonly used ideograms are the numerals, 1,2,3 etc, which 
> represent the same numerical concepts, but different words in different 
> languages. Ideograms work if and only if their users have agreed on 
> their meanings. Thus computer icons and emojis, and international 
> symbols as used in airports. Etc.
> 
> Egyptian hieroglyphs are a combination of ideograms and phonetic signs. 
> The phonetic signs have fixed conceptual meanings when used alone, but 
> in combination indicate a sound, or suggest rhyming words, etc. Thus, 
> with a few rules about how to read combinations of symbols, the 
> Egyptians could write any word in their language, and could spell out 
> words (names, usually) from any foreign language. The Phoenicians took 
> that latter principle a step further, and invented the world's first 
> true alphabet. All alphabets are derived from it.
> 
> Of course, it's all rather more complicated than that. Writing is one of 
> the most astonishing human inventions. Right up there with the wheel.
> 
> End lesson :-)

Thanks Wolf. I wasn't intending my comment to be taken quite that literally! 
Incidentally, the meanings of all too many icons used in computer programs seem 
to vary from program to program, with only a very few more or less 
standardised. In normal writing, even the numerals 1, 2, 3 etc are not 
universally used. Arabic and Chinese both have different sets of symbols to 
represent numbers.

Jim