[sedatk]

> is this sarcasm? it appears disjointed from your comment and disagrees with your thesis.

Not sure how it contradicts with my points. Can you clarify?

> is there orthoganality between open/close on other systems? i have never thought so.

Yes, there is always a "Close" menu option right in the same menu with the "Open". The close "X" is for closing windows, not opening them, and it also has orthogonality. You open the window by clicking on an icon, and you close it by clicking on another icon.

Going back isn't "closing" on Android. It's just the opposite of navigating forward which also makes sense in a navigational context.