RE: C-h m in Info mode should mention "search" for Info-index

[Drew Adams]

    > `C-h m'  in Info mode mentions `i' (Info-index) with this
    > explanation: "Look
    > up a topic in this file's Index and move to that node."
    >
    > That's a pretty good description, but a newbie using `C-h m'
    > and looking for
    > how to search the manual will not find it by searching for "search".

    I don't see how the terminology issue ``search'' vs ``look up'' has
    anything to do with being a newbie.  Both are widely accepted English
    terms, none of them specific to Emacs.  Can you explain?

You're right that both newbies and oldbies might not look for the term that
happens to work in a particular case. However, an oldbie might be more
determined to try other, synonymous or similar terms before thinking s?he
has exhausted the possibilities.

If "search" were not present at all, then anyone who found no match using
"search" might think to then look for "look for". But since there are (two)
matches for "search" some people will not think to also look for "look for",
after finding "search".

All I am saying is that if we used "search" here, instead of "look up", it
might improve the likelihood that people will find `Info-index'.

Consistency sometimes has that advantage, even at the (slight) cost of not
always employing le mot juste ("look up" is admittedly better for an index
entry). If we were to use, say, "search" for `s', "find" for `S', and "look
up" for `i', that would be insidious; we would not be helping users as much
as we could.

It's the same reason we should try to consistently use "file-name" (or
"filename") and not a mix of "file-name" and "filename" in function names -
it simply helps people find functions related to file names.

    > The proposed text also gets rid of a reference to "file" - it
    > is not obvious
    > to a newbie what the "file" is all about here: "manual" is clearer.
    >
    > It also gets rid of a reference to "node" - since it speaks
    of a "topic", it
    > is enough to say that it moves to that topic; "topic" is used
    here in two
    > senses: 1) an index entry and 2) the destination of that entry.

    You are right about ``file'' and ``node''.  I modified this text to
    say: Look up a topic in this manual's Index and move to that index
entry.

Thanks.

Actually, the index has index entries, which point to topics in the text.
So, reversing those two in your sentence would be more correct:

 Look up an entry in this manual's Index and move to its topic.

I personally think it would be clearest to simply use "topic" in both
places:

 Look up a topic in this manual's Index and move to that topic.

(or "and display that topic").