Talk:tooltip

The etymology isn't really transparent. Why are these not called controltips OR GUItips? I think the word is a development of toolbar which came first, with tooltips first being available only for the buttons on a toolbar before being available for all GUI elements. In any case the earliest mention I can find so far on Usenet with Google Groups is April 5 1994: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.basic.visual/msg/14aaedc0f56a132a?dmode=source

Also, it seems the term originated at Microsoft, whether it was ever a trademark I have no idea. Of course MS could've got the idea or the term from elsewhere and merely popularized it. &mdash; Hippietrail 03:33, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

The term toolbar seems to go back at least as far as 1987 where it is used in the context of Macintosh applications. &mdash; Hippietrail 03:37, 5 July 2007 (UTC)


 * Note that Microsoft has traditionally capitalised the word thus: ToolTip. Equinox 19:42, 15 February 2009 (UTC)