Comment 19 for bug 15495

Mac OS (tiger) uses "Create archive of [whatever was selected]". It is very difficult to understand for new users as well as for people coming from the Windows "Compressed (zipped) files" world. So the problem we're facing is that "Archive" is the only correct way of describing the general category of files that have been... archived :)

A common understanding is that archive = compressed zip file. That is not true. But on the other hand, there should be an easy and intuitive was of creating zip files, immediately discoverable. The question is, should we use a wrong name, just because that's what people have learned using Windows, or should we try and teach users correct name instead, showing that "Archive" simply means "a zip file or equivalent". The only issue is to make the initial connection between their mental model (I want a zip file) and the correct menu option (Create Archive).

Reassuming: "Compress..." does not sound optimal, because:

- it's not necessarily going to be compressed

and, more importantly:

- it may not be enough guidance for people trying to create ".zip" files.

The more I think about it, the more I can't see any easy solution. One way could be to have an additional menu option saying "Add to .zip file", that would simply create .zip archive without any prompts. And that's quite ugly. The other would be to somehow suggest that "Create Archive" has something to do with creating .zip files. This is also non-trivial - "Create Archive (.zip)" would be incorrect, since there are other options available and the default selection is tar.gz.