Save icon: Still a floppy disk? [closed]

Answer 1

Not really. As long as it looks likes the more modern "stiffy" rather than floppy.

Memory stick don't really have the same nostalgia. However as more and more modern systems don't include a physical stiffy drive, users of the future may not know what a "stiffy" stand for. As a teenager what a vinyl was and they might think your having a senior moment.

Picture of a Safe might imply that you are encrypting with some internal password and storing it so safe it won't be retrievable.

Picture of Server again givies the impression that its to be copied elsewhere.

Stick with the stiffy for the next 5 years

Cheers

Answer 2

IMO, icons are useful because they're constant symbols we can associate with different actions. In that sense, the floppy is very appropriate simply because it is nearly universal. Never once in my life have I seen an interface with unfamiliar icons (no text at all) and been able to figure out what it does (I'm looking at you, Mac OS). I think even if you come up with an image that is more true to what is actually going on, such as a picture of a hard drive, you'll cause far more confusion than if you left it alone. Even if people such as myself can identify the icon as a hard drive, that doesn't tell us what you're going to do, it just means a hard drive is somehow involved...

Answer 3

As others have said, keep the floppy icon and don't worry. Where I live, this is the warning sign for train crossing:

There haven't been any steam locomotives for 50 years or so, but everyone still knows that this is the symbol for trains. And in the same way, 50 years from now, when your files are stored on Google servers in orbit, everyone will know that the floppy is the symbol for saving your data.

Answer 4

Great question. Of the 4 computers I actively use, only 1 even has a 3.5" drive. It is an antiquated technology that I, for one, wouldn't mind seeing replaced even in icon form.

Possible replacements:

• a vault icon. Easily recognizable and symbolic of saving.
• a compact disc symbol. More modern but still capable of being outdated soon.
• ???

I'm surprised at most of the responses here. The general consensus seems to be "keep using the floppy since that's what has always been done." Since when has the programmer mentality been to conform to everyone else's ideals? Doing something just because "That's the way it's always been" is no excuse, especially for coders.

Answer 5

Consider the fact that you're using the term "floppy" when in fact the 3.5" disks were not floppy at all. It was just a term that carried over from 5.25" disks because everyone got used to it. The "disk button is save" concept is also what everyone is used to. Stick with it.

Answer 6

I think this approach is on to something: