Christopher Mardell
Betsy LangowskiI’m looking through my Macintosh user guide (the booklet that accompanied my 1984 Macintosh) for the first time in a while, and I’m a little obsessed with this graphic explaining scrolling.
Buck
Uli Kusterer (Not a kitteh)@superbetsy Some days I wish these tutorials were still a thing. Including the Welcome disk that shows you that you can lift the mouse and set it down elsewhere to get more room on the desk.
Ryplinn@uliwitness @superbetsy I remember teaching a student about that technique around 2010, and the look of relief on his face.
He'd developed an interesting flicking technique that took advantage of mouse acceleration, but was probably hell on the wrist.
Chris Espinosa@superbetsy /me waves
kira for scale@Cdespinosa @superbetsy was that one of your contributions?
@kirakira @superbetsy Carol Kaehler wrote the copy, Ellen Romano drew the art, Pam Stanton-Wyman was the print production lead, and of course everybody contributed… but that started from a sketch of mine in the User Interface Guidelines.
It wasn’t an original idea. “Scroll” was a metaphor, just like “window” and “desktop.” While metaphors are supposed to map known experiences onto new ones, most people had no physical experience with an actual scroll, so we had to illustrate it.
@Cdespinosa @superbetsy you know, I don't think I'd ever associated the term with a physical scroll before now 
Juan C Nuno
Zimmie@juancnuno @kirakira @Cdespinosa @superbetsy Physical scrolls today are mostly religious items for uncommon religions (e.g, a Written Torah) or antiquities. Very few people have actually seen one being used, so it makes sense people don’t make the association immediately.
Elvith Ma'for@kirakira @Cdespinosa @superbetsy Fun fact: Scroll translates to "(Schrift)Rolle" in German. And on a German keyboard, "scroll (lock)" is labeled as "Rollen" (the verb form of Rolle). But since everyone still uses "scrollen" as a borrowed verb for "to scroll", I also never made that connection and rather assumed some strange historical naming convention for keyboards that no one questioned...
@Cdespinosa @kirakira well that story made my week!!!!! I need to post more of the graphics and turns of phrase (“windowful” is another favorite)!
Bärbel Schmidt@superbetsy @Cdespinosa @kirakira
In the old days when I worked as a software trainer mainly for beginners suddenly a colleague came out of a seminar room. After she closed the door she burst into laughter.... When she recovered a bit she explained: "I told the class to close the window. Well, one stood up and closed the window..."
Common Sparrow@tarbonam @superbetsy @Cdespinosa @kirakira
My dad and I got our first computer in 2007, (a castoff from a relative). We didn't know any of the jargon, which was a foreign language to us. We referred to the computer's "brain box", and its "typewriter" and other names we made up ourselves. A couple of years later, my workplace switched from normal cash registers to computer-screen registers, which is where I began to learn the terms everyone else used. The first time I was told to "close the window", I was baffled, until a helpful colleague translated it as "click the red X in the corner". Oh! To me and my dad, that was called "crossing out the screen"!
My dad and I got our first computer in 2007, (a castoff from a relative). We didn't know any of the jargon, which was a foreign language to us. We referred to the computer's "brain box", and its "typewriter" and other names we made up ourselves. A couple of years later, my workplace switched from normal cash registers to computer-screen registers, which is where I began to learn the terms everyone else used. The first time I was told to "close the window", I was baffled, until a helpful colleague translated it as "click the red X in the corner". Oh! To me and my dad, that was called "crossing out the screen"!
@CommonSparrow @superbetsy @Cdespinosa @kirakira
You were quite inventive :))
Well I can't count how many people pronounced the German CTRL (STRG) as String instead of Steuerung. And I have no idea who started this weird trend...
Basically - if you teach beginners something new, just explain the basics. Which includes e.g. windows in Windows ;)
@tarbonam
Yes, explaining the basics has to include explaining the terminology, so we can all use the same words. A lot of self-taught folks know how to do basic things, but can't follow tips on how to improve because we don't know the language of the explanation. Acronyms always tripped me up, and I had to keep stopping to look up what they stand for. (I learned a lot of terminology at work, but my dad preferred to keep using his home-made terminology, so when bringing home computer tips from work, I translated into his lingo.)
Yes, explaining the basics has to include explaining the terminology, so we can all use the same words. A lot of self-taught folks know how to do basic things, but can't follow tips on how to improve because we don't know the language of the explanation. Acronyms always tripped me up, and I had to keep stopping to look up what they stand for. (I learned a lot of terminology at work, but my dad preferred to keep using his home-made terminology, so when bringing home computer tips from work, I translated into his lingo.)
Scott Jann@Cdespinosa @kirakira @superbetsy I never really “got” it until I saw a model at a (the?) Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit about 15 years ago, I think I said “so that’s why they call them scroll bars” aloud
Matt Thomas@superbetsy wait a second… scrolling… scroll… how did this _just_ get this?
@codecaffeine same!! It was a smack-my-forehead moment. I mean… obviously… but it’s so much part of my lexicon I never litigated it.
Ken McLeod@superbetsy @Cdespinosa @kirakira A physical scroll was a great metaphor to explain how your view of the document was limited and you could shift it up or down to see more, but only until you hit the top or bottom of the scroll. See also the icons for Asm and Edit.
Knud JahnkeNo scrolling without a scroll, simple as that.
Fardels BearGood explanation. Reminds me of the way early cars were called horseless carriages.
Noodlemaz@superbetsy which is whyyyy pushing up to scroll up makes no senssse
Reiner Jung 🇬🇱 🇺🇦 🇪🇺@superbetsy wonderful.
Mike Torr@superbetsy Reading the replies, I'm amazed at how many people didn't know the origin of "scroll". I'm probably old! In fact, I think I still have a few "Save icons" in a drawer somewhere...
trusty falxter 🧠
@superbetsy That's great. Now I'm thinking about making a website, where scrolling is implemented with an actual 3D-model of a paper scroll. The user won't notice until they change the page, which would reveal the underneath paper-scroll jukebox mechanics. 🤔
Deus Figendi.jwduh, great, I wasn't aware of the connection between "to scroll" and "a scroll". It's so obvious!
кот8124 
@superbetsy i have misread "Macintosh" as "Mastodon" 
june.@superbetsy the real question is, are you moving the page or the window…
Klaus Frank@superbetsy It makes sense. Did they cover scrolling directions there too by change?
It at least would be great at explaining the difference between some people intuitively wanting to scroll up and others to scroll down in order to see the next piece of content.
The ones want to have the script move upwards so they can see the next piece in the window. The others want to move the window downward to archive the same thing.
Lutin Discret@superbetsy and we are here in 2025 begging for designers to give us back the scroll bars that get thinner and thinner and nearly invisible every where in the web 😔
Joao Dordio@superbetsy i thought this was a vintage apple watch strap tbh
Øyvind Bugge SolheimVery cool! Made me think of the book the Shallows where it is argued that the invention of the book (as an upgrade to the scroll) was crucial for progress.
I guess we're back on our papyrus scrolls now but maybe more doom scrolling than last time..
⁂ Fish Id Wardrobe@superbetsy hence "scrolling". like a scroll. 🤍
Sebastian Geukes
ednl 🇪🇺@superbetsy Also a good starting point to explain the difference between "normal" and "natural" scrolling. Normal or old style moves the viewport, which feels natural with PgUp/Dn or cursor keys. "Natural" moves the document which feels natural with a touch interface.
The mouse wheel is controversial nowadays. I stubbornly keep disabling "natural" scrolling for my mouse with scroll wheel. Roll down = scroll down!!
🐈⬛David SommersethHmmm ... so you could say that "natural scrolling" moves the paper scroll, while the other method moves the viewport window of the paper scroll.
Hope I got it right ...
gunstick@superbetsy reminds me of the Atari ST owners manual where they explain how a mouse works.
https://www.valoroso.it/file-share/documenti-manuali/Atari-ST-owner-manual.pdf
https://www.valoroso.it/file-share/documenti-manuali/Atari-ST-owner-manual.pdf
penguin42@superbetsy Here's the Epson HX-20's drawing showing how to move about their virtual screen (It's got a small LCD over a bigger virtual page):
Štěpán 💤@superbetsy this is why the "reversed" touchpad scrolling is actually the only right way to do it. The touchpad represents the paper, and you move it up to scroll down.
Martin Dougiamas@superbetsy Wow, I remember that page so clearly from my own first Mac that year
Ian M. Noone
dan 💾
daniel lublin@superbetsy This helps to make it clear that the scrollbar moves the window up or down, it does not move the scroll outside the window.
Still Nmyownworld@superbetsy The early days of home computers. 😄
"What does scrolling mean? All this newfangled jargon. "
"Think of a scroll, with parts of it in your line of sight."
"Ohhh."
myrmepropagandistreject the codex
retvrn to scroll
katzenberger
Medieval helpdesk with English subtitles
Helpdesk support back in the day of the middle agewith English subtitles. Original taken from the show "Øystein og jeg" on Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK)in 200...
:ulfr:@katzenberger Came here to reply with this, which also made me think about paging vs. scrolling in PDF readers...
Kevin Riggle@futurebird @superbetsy doom scroll
mcc@superbetsy I am constantly thinking about the tutorial app that came with my LC2 where at one point the instructor sprite reaches to the top of the screen and pulls down a menu like a windowshade
Jordan
Kenner@superbetsy the interface is also better that today
Alex Rosenberg@superbetsy Attention to detail: that era’s warranty reply card’s lickable adhesive tastes like apples.
Paul Cantrell@superbetsy @mcc
I remember that! And I realize just now that “scrolling” is going to be one of those things like “dialing” and “hanging up” a phone or “champing at the bit” or “too many irons in the fire” where the word will far outlive the original physical context that made it make sense.
I remember that! And I realize just now that “scrolling” is going to be one of those things like “dialing” and “hanging up” a phone or “champing at the bit” or “too many irons in the fire” where the word will far outlive the original physical context that made it make sense.
kajer :notverified:pagination is the devil.
Karel P Kerezman@superbetsy I really dig that graphic. Elegant and effective.
I am Jack's Found 404Behold the prophecy of the ancient scrolls 📜
matt sephton@superbetsy From a similar era, here's a photo of the manual of Macintosh app UltraPaint (1990, Deneba Systems) showing the Option key looking more like the electronic switch that inspired it. https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2021/04/06/ultrapaint-manual/
