Some Blog Site

Kids these days… don’t even know why the save icon is what it is…or even what is it..

For those of you who don’t know the cryptic image that appears in the save button: it is a floppy disk. That’s what we used to transfer files before USB was invented. And back when a 24k modem was impressive.

Floppy disk

Since no one uses those anymore, it is time to get rid of it. But when people save files, to what do they save them?

We need to find a new save icon, one that is independent of the medium. Like the open folder for opening a file – the file can be local, USB stick, internet, whatever. Let’s explore our options…

Hard drive
Too vague – no one sees the hard drive, so that’s not going to work.

Compact Disc
Not vague, but slightly outdated. When was the last time you saw someone save a file to a CD?

USB drive
Not vague, but not the usual destination. This is probably familiar to most people, but most of the time you’re saving locally. Plus it might throw off some less technically-aware people: “How can I save a file without my USB drive? Look, it wants me to save it to the USB thing…”

Life preserver
Hmm…interesting. Good connection to the concept of saving. Unfortunately, some programs already use this as their icon for help.

Cross
Perfect! An icon to clearly denote saving a file. And it will help evangelize the masses, right?

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