I get what they're trying to say, but I don't think a 14yo with their first Mac is going to know what an inkwell represents. Let alone what an inkwell is.

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eviks 5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

What kind of knowledge does a 14you have to parse the two sticks in the first icon easier vs. remembering some school trivia?

	▲	bongodongobob 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		[dead]

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gumby271 5 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I have no idea what app this is an icon for, but from the ones in the middle I have to assume it's Apple's version of Word? I'll agree that the inkwell one is dated and doesn't work well now, but how on earth is a pencil + line conveying anything useful?

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II2II 5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Pages, which is a word processor. I could only figure that out from the 5th and 6th icons, which are breaking the cardinal rule about having text in the icon.

Personally, I wouldn't be able to figure out what the first three icons are for without the context of the other icons. The first two icons are meaningless. The third icon vaugly represents a pen drawing a line, which would lead me to think it is a drawing program. The fourth program would allow me to identify it as word processor, and is my favourite. The rest are identifiable as well.

Microsoft office isn't much better but at least there were consistent elements between versions to make them easier to identify for experienced users who are upgrading. I couldn't say the same for Apple's icons. LibreOffice's icons make it easier to identify each program, even if they aren't the prettiest.

	▲	gumby271 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Microsoft's icons (until their most recent Liquid Glass redesign) were probably the best attempt at abstract but still useful to a new user. The Excel icon looked like a grid, Word had lines, PowerPoint a pie chart. They're not perfect, but it's interesting to see the new ones that have just less detailed and are a little more blobby, or melted.

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duskwuff 5 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

> from the ones in the middle I have to assume it's Apple's version of Word?

Correct. Word : Excel : Powerpoint :: Pages : Numbers : Keynote.

	▲	gumby271 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Ah thanks, Numbers is the only one I know since it sometimes still shows up instead of Excel.