https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=170174
Bug ID: 170174
Summary: Ambiguous wording in comparison dialog (“Compare to
Original Document”) – unclear which document is
considered the “original”
Product: LibreOffice
Version: 25.8.4.2 release
Hardware: All
OS: All
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Severity: normal
Priority: medium
Component: Writer
Assignee: [email protected]
Reporter: [email protected]
Description:
In Writer, when comparing two documents via "Edit > Track Changes > Compare
Document...", a dialog opens allowing the user to choose the file to compare
with the one currently open.
The current source English string shown in the file picker dialog is: “Compare
to Original Document”.
This wording is ambiguous. It is unclear which document is considered the
“original document”:
a) Is the "original document" the one that is already open in Writer (and the
user is supposed to select the document to compare against the original
currently open)?
b) Or is the "original document" the one the user is about to select (and the
user is supposed to select the original document to compare with the currently
open document)?
Because the English source does not specify which document is the baseline (the
earlier/original version), the ambiguity affects all translations, including
French.
I would suggest something that makes the intent explicit, e.g. "Select the
original to compare with the open file.".
Steps to Reproduce:
1. Compare your Writer document to another one: go to Edit > Track Changes >
Compare Document...
2. Read the string shown in the file picker dialog: "Compare to Original
Document".
3. Try to understand wether you should select the original document or the
recent version.
Actual Results:
You'll have to open the documentation or go blind on this one.
Expected Results:
You should be able to understand which document is expected to be selected
Reproducible: Always
User Profile Reset: No
Additional Info:
Of course, it is expected that you compare the version you are working on with
a previous version, and that the version you are working on will be already
open because... well because you're working on it! But not everybody will think
that way, I still hesitate when I have to use that tool. And some use cases
could get even more troubling, like in cases where there is a doubt about the
version you're handling (i.e. with a cloud sync issue) or when comparing two
documents that are on different branches (i.e. two contributions to that
original document from different authors).
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