1698550 - "Settings" string is not Mac-like (replacement for Preferences)

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Firefox :: Menus, defect, P1)

Description

[Asif Youssuff]

Regressed by bug 1695671.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Open Firefox menu or appmenu (browser.proton.enabled=true)

What happens:

See the word "Settings"

Expected result:

"Preferences", like virtually every other app on macOS.

The word "Preferences" is explicitly called out in the Apple HIG https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/macos/menus/menu-bar-menus/#app-menu and Mac users familiar with the platform will see it as a deviation from platform norms.

Given the other work happening on macOS (Smart Zoom, native context menus, pinch to zoom), this seems like a step back, while other platform smarts are moving forward.

Comment 1

[:Gijs (he/him)]

This is an intentional decision, and we know it's not what Apple recommends. There's always a tension between intra-app cross-platform consistency and cross-app intra-platform consistency, and right now product and UX have decided that cross-platform, intra-app consistency is more important here. We'll be updating more labels to "Settings" in the nightly cycle with which proton ships.

Comment 2

[Meridel [:meridel]]

Our original intention was to not change the menubar labels as part of Proton, but because the two share code I was under the assumption that whatever decisions we made in the application menu had to be pulled through in the menubar.

Based on conversation with Mike Conca, we should retain the label of "Preferences" in the macOS menubar, if this is possible to do. If we make the change to "Settings" we introduce a delta moment for macOS users, which runs counter to org goals.

Mike, is it possible to retain the "Preferences" label for macOS menubar?

Comment 3

[Meridel [:meridel]]

To be clear, this is an exception we are making for the MacOS menubar only. We will continue to use "Settings" in the application menu across platforms and in the Windows menubar.

Comment 4

[Mike Conley (:mconley) (:⚙️)]

Marking disabled for Firefox 88, as we made it so that "Preferences" is used in non-Nightly builds for 88 in bug 1698577 while we sorted this out.

This work is about pulling out that branch, using "Settings" for Windows and Linux and "Preferences" for macOS.

Comment 5

[Martin Balfanz [:mbalfanz]]

Attachment: Bug 1698550 - Change "Settings" to "Preferences" in Mac menu bar. r=mconley,Gijs

Comment 6

[Pulsebot]

Pushed by [e-mail]:
https://hg.mozilla.org/integration/autoland/rev/49a10c5b1b31
Change "Settings" to "Preferences" in Mac menu bar. r=Gijs

Comment 7

[BugBot [:suhaib / :marco/ :calixte]]

Set release status flags based on info from the regressing bug 1695671

Comment 8

[Cristian Brindusan [:cbrindusan]]

https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/rev/49a10c5b1b31