Our office recently updated to a new version of the Office Suite, and it still has an icon in the upper-left corner to perform the 'Save' function. Floppy drives have not been in use for years, and many children would not recognize a 3.5 inch floppy disk on sight. Programs have used this icon for years, because we have yet to find a suitable replacement. The CD/DVD can no longer represent saving, because they have come and gone. Even moving to the more abstract Piggy Bank icon would not work, because they are seldom used in the modern age. A USB Key icon may represent saving in some form, but the may not be around much longer if another medium gains favor. Does this mean that the venerable 3.5 inch Floppy will represent saving information to future generations, or should it be replaced by a different symbol?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by ledow on Tuesday December 20 2016, @11:39AM
It doesn't matter. So long as we're consistent.
What does the power icon represent? It's an incomplete circle with a line through it at the top.
Play, fast forward, etc. might "make sense" but pause and stop don't, especially the distinction between them. But EVERYONE uses the same icon, so it's fine.
And any play-on-words (piggy banks, lifejackets, etc.) doesn't work in any other language.
If you wanted a new icon, you go for a document, with an arrow putting it somewhere. It doesn't really matter where, so long as it indicates putting the document somewhere.
But the fact is that it really doesn't matter, even if it's an outdated storage medium, so long as we're consistent.