Randal L. Schwartz wrote:
	Just be very careful when you do this.  About 20% of the population
	(including me, although I'm an extreme case) is much more sound-driven
	or kinesthetic-driven than picture-driven.
	
	In particular, an *icon* means nothing to me until I can *name* it
	audibly.

When a program gives me the opportunity to switch off icons in the toolbar
and display words instead, I always take it.  On MacOS 8.6, I find "Sherlock"
a pain to use compared with the find file facility that preceded it (the
interface is more complex and it starts up rather slower).  On MacOS 9,
Sherlock aquired a cutesy-cutesy row of coloured would-be-photorealistic
"icons" that leaves me totally baffled.

I'm actually typing on a Solaris box with CDE.  There's a sort of tool dock
at the bottom, with icons.  Reading from left to right:

    Earth image (showing plainly that my country, heck, my *hemisphere*,
    does not exist) with clock hands.  This has a menu backing it,
	- web browser		
	- personal bookmarks
	- find web page
    and apparently the earth clock means "web browser".  How come?

    Desk calendar with dogeared bottom right corner.  The backing menu has
	- today's date (2-digit year *sigh*)
	- find card (magnifying glass near keyhole; what's a "card"?)
    If they hadn't spent so many bits on the picture, they could have
    fitted in the year and day of week.

    Filing cabinet with something coming out.  (In fact it doesn't look
    like any filing cabinet I've ever had, but I've seen American TV.)
    I *think* the thing coming out is a moustrap.  Backing menu:
	- home folder (it means "open File Manager on home directory")
	- removable media manager (without the words I would NOT know what
	    the picture means)
	- open floppy (another baffling picture)
	- i-in-a-circle above typed page above who-knows what "Properties"
	    (if you think this is how you associate icons with a file, you
	    would appear to be wrong, this is chmod/chown)
	- key on a typed page (encryption)
	- Maltese cross (compress file)
	- audio cassette (archive)
	- magnifying glass on card, or is it a funny looking camera?
	  (find file -- these days I never know whether a magnifying glass
	  icon means "find" or "magnify")

    Card with pencil writing on it and pin in top right corner.  Menu:
        - same picture (text note)
        - same picture sans pin (text editor)
	  If there is a difference between "text note" and "text editor"
	  the on-line help system (which DOES have "back" for each page
	  but does NOT have "forward", can you believe it?) refuses to say.
        - same picture with sceptre and tassel instead of pencil (voice note)
        - another filing cabinet, might be exploding (means Applications)
	  - shows me a folder with medium grey icons on a slightly paler grey
	    background; there are no text labels but if you select an icon
	    *then* you get a label

    - Letter falling into the top of a rubbish bin, menu:
	- same icon, mail
	- card with at sign, suggestion box (also mail, with prefilled
	  address that doesn't work from this machine).

    I'll spare you the rest, except to note that to get another terminal
    window I have to click on the box with the "recording level" icon,
    actually performance meter.

    Oh yeah, the "top-of-a-bulldog-clip" icon means "lock", which puts up
    a box where you have to type your password, BUT it gives you a black-
    on-black mouse pointer, so hitting the text entry box is a matter of luck.

This is supposed to be HELPFUL?  The sad thing is that this toolbar is one
of the least bad I've come across!  At least it's not Windows!

An icon REMINDS someone who already knows.
A word INFORMS someone who doesn't know yet.

	So please, remember, not *all* the world believes an icon communicates
	more than a word.  I'd prefer the word, because my brain is seemingly
	hopelessly wired that way.  Please don't force us to try to undo 39
	years of wiring. :)