"Avatar" was recently changed to "Picture" because it was felt this would be better understood by the average user.

Whether this is true or not, I think the code itself should carry on using the word Avatar in variables and tags, for the following reasons:

Unlike users, most programmer will know what the word "Avatar" means
The word Avatar means a very specific use for an image, where as "Picture" is very general.
The tag for "Picture" might be useful for another function later on
If we ever use the tag "Image" there will be confusion between Picture and Image (which sort of means the same thing)

I'd also like to point out that xtemplate.theme in HEAD uses 'avatar' in some parts of the code and 'picture' in others, which is inconsistent and confusing.

Can we change back to using 'avatar' for code?

Comments

TDobes’s picture

I've discussed the issue of the extreme vagueness of the word "picture" before with Dries following the change. If you're bored, you can read what we wrote in a bug report and a few forum posts.

In short, Dries didn't like the word "avatar" because most English-speaking non-computer-geek people wouldn't know what it meant. On the other hand, I didn't like the word "picture" due to its non-specific nature. For instance, a site admin might translate the word "image" (from image.module) to "picture" because they feel the word image has the wrong connotation for their site.

Anyway, my suggestion would be that of consistency between code and UI... doing otherwise would be unsettling to anyone looking at the code for the first time. Since we've decided against using the word "avatar," my proposal is to use the term "user picture." It still retains the ability to be understood by the average person, but is more specific to the task at hand. Never should the word "picture" be used alone (when referring to user pictures, that is). In the code, we could do something like user_picture. Other ideas, anyone?

Robert Castelo’s picture

I feel strongly that we should use the term "Avatar" instead of "Picture":

"Avatar" is the correct word - it exactly describes what we want to say.

We need to have an explanation next to "Picture" anyway because picture is too general for anyone to understand - so it is better to have the explanation next to the correct word (and users will learn word + the concept) than next to the general word (users will only learn the concept).

People who use forums will usually know what an avatar is - but they will need to read the explanation to check that is what we mean by "Picture".

Avatar is becoming a very mainstream word as more and more people use on-line forums. (+ James Cameron is rumoured to be working on a film called "Avatar" - that should nail it!)

If not "Avatar" then "User Picture" is next best choice IMO

We should make a choice now and make all the code and UI consistent for 4.4

Chris Johnson’s picture

+1 for avatar in the code.

There's no way the code will be able to always use the same terms as appear in the UI. As programmers, we just have to live with that reality right now, anyway.

Brian@brianpuccio.net’s picture

+1 for avatar in code. Picture is too general.
$0.02

WhiteFire’s picture

I'm going to have to agree that avatar is the way to go. It is in common use on websites any more, and most every bit of other software uses the term.

Just stick in a description of what an avatar is into the profile editor. Educate the users rather than dumbing it down. Really, people can learn.

JonBob’s picture

Title: Avatars v Pictures » Use "Avatar" rather than "Picture" consistently in code
Robert Castelo’s picture

I've been running a poll "Do you understand the word Avatar?" on the Pushbutton development site...

So far 115 votes:

7% saying they don't know the word
34% knowing but disliking it
59% majority knowing and in favour of 'Avatar'

http://www.cortextcommunications.com/pushbutton/node/view/8

I don't know how representative visitors to my site are of the average Drupal user, but this poll does indicate that most people now understand the word 'avatar', even if some don't actually like it.

moshe weitzman’s picture

magico’s picture

Version: x.y.z » 7.x-dev
Status: Postponed » Closed (fixed)

"Picture" in use for so long, that this issue is not questionable.