Comment On Synchronization by Modal

Please wait for comments

Please wait while I type my comment...

Modal dialogs, and their evil stepsisters, focus-stealing windows, are the stench that makes GUIs so user-hostile. I swear it takes longer to get a given task done on today's computers than the teletypes of 30 years ago, because you're constantly getting interrupted by some arrogant piece of crap that thinks it is worthy of your attention.

Go do what I told you to do, without asking or complaining, and when you're done just sit there politely and patiently until I get back to you!

And no, this is not an anti-Windows rant, although MS is easily the worst offender. Mac and recently Linux do it too! Phtooie!

Ob Server:

Please wait while I type my comment...

--8<--
constantly getting interrupted by some arrogant piece of crap that thinks it is worthy of your attention.

Go do what I told you to do, without asking or complaining, and when you're done just sit there politely and patiently until I get back to you!

And no, this is not an anti-Windows rant, although MS is easily the worst offender. Mac and recently Linux do it too! Phtooie!

I was updating the firmware on a netgear router the other day, using Opera. I couldn't do anything else on my computer while it carried on, as the webpage stole focus every second (and cancelling a firmware update seems like a bad idea.)

I have no objection to popups, so long as they don't steal focus - I'll mouse over you if I deem you worthy of focus, or ignore you otherwise...

Ob Server:

Please wait while I type my comment...

Modal dialogs, and their evil stepsisters, focus-stealing windows, are the stench that makes GUIs so user-hostile. I swear it takes longer to get a given task done on today's computers than the teletypes of 30 years ago, because you're constantly getting interrupted by some arrogant piece of crap that thinks it is worthy of your attention.

Go do what I told you to do, without asking or complaining, and when you're done just sit there politely and patiently until I get back to you!

And no, this is not an anti-Windows rant, although MS is easily the worst offender. Mac and recently Linux do it too! Phtooie!

Some programs are worse, like Firefox. They meant to have an application-modal dialog (for entering a password etc), but when you change focus to them they freeze. Everytime that happens, I have to digg through all open windows, and get the *#*(&%%*)&$^ wannabe-modal dialog to enter my password. I rather have a system-wide modal (VISIBLE!) dialog than that behaviour :(

mbvlist:

Some programs are worse, like Firefox. They meant to have an application-modal dialog (for entering a password etc), but when you change focus to them they freeze. Everytime that happens, I have to digg through all open windows, and get the *#*(&%%*)&$^ wannabe-modal dialog to enter my password. I rather have a system-wide modal (VISIBLE!) dialog than that behaviour :(

Chrome handles this perfectly, even a password box for a tab will still let you see and use the other tabs in the same window :)

Now that's multi threaded programming. Using all the cores at its maximum.

Ob Server:

Please wait while I type my comment...

I am still waiting. You appear to have made the clbuttic mistake of not releasing or unlocking the resources - in this case my attention.

For whatever reason, I skimmed through the class definition and my brain came up with

public IList IExecuteCustomers(...)

Well I guess that would cut down on support...

Caller: Hi, I have a problem with...
Support: Oh, just click on the big red button.
Caller: Bzzzzzzzap!
Support: pwn3d!

My client asked me to 'clean the code.' So I 'substantially restructured' the code and then a 'please wait' dialog happened. LONG LIVE THE UI!

There is a right time to use modal dialogs, this is not one of them.

SAMO (c):

My client asked me to 'clean the code.' So I 'substantially restructured' the code and then a 'please wait' dialog happened. LONG LIVE THE UI!

These 140 character summaries are very tedious.

Yours is 142 characters, too. Fail.

I determine the client's system time, then cross reference that with today's TV guide and then use my proprietary commercial-prediction algorithm to make sure to only show modal dialogs when adverts and other useless junk are showing on TV.

So far I have had zero complaints (All my 'Contact' boxes fire an unclosable modal dialog which blocks the telephone number!).

IV:

Ob Server:

Please wait while I type my comment...

I am still waiting. You appear to have made the clbuttic mistake of not releasing or unlocking the resources - in this case my attention.

Oh, I don't know...my attention is released. I think is mistake is not have properly acquired the resource to begin with.

...a pretty straightforward set of method.

Many of the implementation classes, however had modal dialog window contained within.

Article come from China, no? Don't grammar checking.

- Peter

I'm assuming that the data-entry end of the application handled multi-user record locking with the dialog:

"Click OK when no one else is editing the record."

LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY HASN'T BEEN READING SINCE THE WINTER!

the meme is:

My A asked me to fix b. So I performed C and the D happened. Long live E!

My n00b asked me to truncate my comment by two characters. So I gave the meme format and then Gary OOO posted. Long live the SAMO corporation!

(null)

Modal dialogs serve a useful purpose, so I can't agree they should go away.

Focus stealing windows (of any kind) will burn in the 9th circle of hell.

broke down dialog:

Please wait for comments

This is not funny... i wish people would stop doing this... far to predictable and NOT funny in the least.

Murray:

broke down dialog:

Please wait for comments

This is not funny... i wish people would stop doing this... far to predictable and NOT funny in the least.

It doesn't seem that far to predictable. You might actually claim that it is too predictable.

Murray:

This is not funny... i wish people would stop doing this... far to predictable and NOT funny in the least.

Heh heh, recursive comment.

Murray:

broke down dialog:

Please wait for comments

This is not funny... i wish people would stop doing this... far to predictable and NOT funny in the least.

Why, you prefer frist and the likes?
Personally I like it better this way, but maybe you just swing the other way.

"Needless to say" the code was restructured?

On this site, it's definitely need to say.

My Alex asked me to punch up the plot. So I added a few hyperboles and then a couple of typos happened. LONG LIVE TDWTF!

random.next:

Murray:

broke down dialog:

Please wait for comments

This is not funny... i wish people would stop doing this... far to predictable and NOT funny in the least.

Why, you prefer frist and the likes?
Personally I like it better this way, but maybe you just swing the other way.

You may not like it, but Don't Ask, Don't Tell is still the official policy until Alex changes it!

"Needless to say, the code has since been substantially restructured..."
Needless to say? I'm amazed it happened.

I accidentally to the code. Is this serious?

JV:

This article is an example of the new technology called Modal-Enabled Synchronization Semaphore, or MESS for short.

ASP.NET 4 includes an expanded set of classes to make MESS easier to use by providing improved interoperability support, enhancing the debugging experience in partial trust scenarios, and extending synchronization protocol support for wider usage in Web 2.0 applications.

I hear it got already added to the HTML 5 spec too.

JV:

This article is an example of the new technology called Modal-Enabled Synchronization Semaphore, or MESS for short.

Priceless. Looks to me that MESS breaks if the user is too quick to dismiss. Gotta love those race conditions.

Bob:

Ob Server:

And no, this is not an anti-Windows rant, although MS is easily the worst offender. Mac and recently Linux do it too! Phtooie!

I was updating the firmware on a netgear router the other day, using Opera. I couldn't do anything else on my computer while it carried on, as the webpage stole focus every second (and cancelling a firmware update seems like a bad idea.)

What about stealing view? Nothing like continuing to work in an app that has something overlaid but not in focus. Seems someone at Apple thought that was an acceptable alternative. Bah!

Speaking of Bob's firmware update.... I would think you wouldn't get anything routed while the update was in progress anyway. If you did, that's what multiple browser apps are for.

TRWTF of course is that the handler names don't match.

dataProxy.OnAsyncCompleted += OnFindCustomerCompleted;
dataProxy.OnAsyncCompleted -= OnFindCustomersCompleted;

Bob:

I was updating the firmware on a netgear router the other day, using Opera. I couldn't do anything else on my computer while it carried

To be fair, that behavior may have been intentional. Bricking a router is a bad thing, and one way to reduce the likelihood of the user doing that is to prevent the user from doing anything until the critical time period is over.

Jeremy Friesner:

Bob:

I was updating the firmware on a netgear router the other day, using Opera. I couldn't do anything else on my computer while it carried

To be fair, that behavior may have been intentional. Bricking a router is a bad thing, and one way to reduce the likelihood of the user doing that is to prevent the user from doing anything until the critical time period is over.

As long as a less technically aware user doesn't think "Oh no, it's screwed up the whole system, I'll have to turn off the power." Unless someone's done a whole lot of user testing (don't make me laugh) I'd say you have as much chance of increasing the likelihood of bricking the router as of decreasing it.

. Each service class implemented an abstract Interface [

Is it me or isn't an interface implicitly abstract or well has nothing todo with abstract at all? (Or am I just a C# wannabee and do other languages call it abstr interface?)

OH NO the code!:

. Each service class implemented an abstract Interface [

Is it me or isn't an interface implicitly abstract or well has nothing todo with abstract at all? (Or am I just a C# wannabee and do other languages call it abstr interface?)

Interfaces are by nature abstract, yes.

Java allows you to apply the abstract modifier to interfaces, I believe. Although it's actually superfluous and you can leave it out - the compiler already knows it's abstract.

I have to say I do favour explicitly stating things sometimes, like "private" in C#, which is what's assumed if there's no other protection level modifier - I still tend to explicitly state it. Partly to indicate it was a concious design decision.

Mike Caron:

Murray:

This is not funny... i wish people would stop doing this... far to predictable and NOT funny in the least.

Heh heh, recursive comment.

Brillant! The first comment that made me GOL in a long time. I don't laugh at work. I giggle.

hikari:

I have to say I do favour explicitly stating things sometimes, like "private" in C#, which is what's assumed if there's no other protection level modifier - I still tend to explicitly state it. Partly to indicate it was a concious design decision.

But of course! Code should be as concise as possible but very often a few superfluous keywords go a long way to increasing code readability. As for access modifiers, I always state them explicitly and I get quite annoyed that Visual Studio always creates code files without them.

Severity One:

...a pretty straightforward set of method.

Many of the implementation classes, however had modal dialog window contained within.

Article come from China, no? Don't grammar checking.

- Peter

Chinese comments are cheaper. We will see more of them in the coming years.

diaphanein:

I think is mistake is not have properly acquired the resource to begin with.

ClaudeSuck.de:

Severity One:

...a pretty straightforward set of method.

Many of the implementation classes, however had modal dialog window contained within.

Article come from China, no? Don't grammar checking.

- Peter

Chinese comments are cheaper. We will see more of them in the coming years.

diaphanein:

I think is mistake is not have properly acquired the resource to begin with.

and they compeete with Indian ones

(all your comments are belong to us)

Bryan D recently started a new contract with a large company that was developing a rich client application with all the latest buzzword technologies: WCF, WPF, BDD, etc.

And apparently they use WTF too.

Smash King:

Bryan D recently started a new contract with a large company that was developing a rich client application with all the latest buzzword technologies: WCF, WPF, BDD, etc.

And apparently they use WTF too.

Yes, I have noticed the similarities between WTF, WPF, and WCF.

We actually have a project here that uses the acronym WTF and I can't help but snicker each time I see it...

I would be willing to risk the occasional screening out of an innocent post if theDailyWTF.com automatically blocked any post with the substrings "handbag" or "Wow Gold" in it.

My CHEAP WOW GOLD asked me to fix the GUCCI HANDBAGS so I CHEAP UGG BOOTS and now AION KINA. Long live WWW.GAME4POWER.COM!!!

tOmcOlins:

My CHEAP WOW GOLD asked me to fix the GUCCI HANDBAGS so I CHEAP UGG BOOTS and now AION KINA. Long live WWW.GAME4POWER.COM!!!

Brillant.

ClaudeSuck.de:

Chinese comments are cheaper. We will see more of them in the coming years.

We already see them here... A bit above yours.

I hate it when firefox does that... then I have to figure out how to get back to the half-ass-modal dialog when it's hidden under something.

And yes, wtf is with the spam? this is going to hell in a cheap handbag full of cheap WOW gold. Don't make me kick some ass with my nike running shoes ugg boots

So ASP.NET 4 makes it easier to make a MESS of your code?
Yeah right - I'll stick to REALbasic any day over that. :P

I accidentally ASP.NET 4, the whole thing!