More familiar naming conventions: "Charts"/"Diagrams", "Lines" etc. rather than "Graphs" and "Edges"

Question

I've just started using yEd and think it's (mostly) great (especially for the price).

However, I've found a couple of things really frustrating.

One is the use of 'unnatural' terms for things.

I guess there will be a huge impact on documentation etc. but it would be sooooooo much nicer if you called a diagram a diagram, rather than a graph. And as for "edges"? Really? An edge in everyone else's language is the line at the boundary of a shape. Other diagram apps call them "lines" or "connectors.

I don't know whether this started off as a 2nd language thing or a domain-specific language thing, and I know it's only really two words that I have to bend my head around each time, which isn't a lot, but it would be so much more obvious what was going on if you used the terms that most of your audience were familiar with.

Answer 1

Actually, "graph" and "edge" are the correct terms, as yEd is supposed to create graphs, and not any kind of diagram. See here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph_%28mathematics%29

(It is not by chance that they call yEd a "graph editor" ;) )

Comments

I'm really happy for you that the terms used by yEd are "correct".

I'd much rather have some software that's "usable", "intuitive", helps me get my job done and "doesn't make me think" (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/0321344758) than one that's "correct".

Guess I'll keep on looking...

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Sorry, but I believe you missed the point. If you want a program that creates just "diagrams", yEd is not what you are looking for, as it is a dedicated tool to create *graphs*.

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Actually, when "diagram" is not used as a synonymous of "graph", graphs are regarded as a subset of diagrams.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagram

So, in a sense, I see the OP's point even if I do not support his idea of using general terms common to every diagrams over specific terms meant just for graphs.