• (null) (unregistered) in reply to atkretsch
    atkretsch:
    Please insert a disk into the (null)
    ...Ouch.
    I don't know what this "(null)" is supposed to be that you're all bitching about. Try as I might, I can't even find it:

    "(null)" konnte nicht gefunden werden. Stellen Sie sicher, dass Sie den Namen korrekt eingegeben haben und wiederholen Sie den Vorgang. Klicken Sie auf "Start" und anschließend auf "Suchen", um eine Datei zu suchen.

    OK

    (The German-language error message says, "(null)" could not be found. Make sure you have correctly entered the name, then retry the operation. Click "Start" then "Search" to search for a file.) And no, I didn't go looking for trouble by deliberately entering "(null)" anywhere, this just happened to happen today.

  • jellomonkey (unregistered) in reply to pflompen
    pflompen:
    i really hope you are joking, otherwise you must be damn retarded. i think its harder NOT to understand [YES] [NO] [CANCEL] than doing it. ok, why we don't just put whole stories into the button text, so even the dumbest idiot will understand it?
    The dumbest idiot should be able to understand it, after all - you're using a computer.

    HCI (Human Computer Interaction) Day 1 - Everything (from toothbrushes to computer programs) should be designed so that a person of average intelligence can use it with no instruction.

    Many interface designers and HCI specialists would say that any person who doesn't have a recognized mental handicap should be able to use an interface with contextual help which is less than one sentence long. A tall order but a lot more programs need to start filling it.

  • Save my changes and submit them to the forum (unregistered) in reply to Code Dependent
    Code Dependent:
    That's better, but still a bit vague. I propose the following button texts:

    [Save my changes and exit the program] [Discard my changes and exit the program] [Look, just forget I did anything. Take me back to where I was before I clicked on the "Exit" button, okay?]

    Speaking of UI guidelines for Windows... With minor changes, those almost look like they might fit the UI guidelines for Windows Vista:

    -> Save my changes and exit the program -> Discard my changes and exit the program -> Look, just forget I did anything. Take me back to where I was before I clicked on the "Exit" button, okay?

    (It just might not be fair to bash the guidelines or common usage for Windows 3.1 or Windows 95 in this day and age, you know.)

  • Pi (unregistered)

    See also TaskDialogIndirect()

  • ChiefCrazyTalk (unregistered)

    9006 is not bigger than 9006 - it is the same. So, it should be bigger is a valid message. Sounds like if it was 9007 there would be no error.

  • PublicLurker (unregistered) in reply to Frost
    Frost:
    dpm:
    But the combination of the poorly phrased question and the buttons which completely fail to match the question's possibilities is indeed a WTF, one seen all too often. WhyTF do programmers offer users this: 
        Do you want to save the file before quitting?
           [YES]     [NO]      [CANCEL]

    instead of labelling the buttons directly with the action

        [SAVE THEN QUIT]     [JUST QUIT]     [CANCEL]

    It's ridiculous to add the extra level of verbosity.

    The answer to your question is most likely "Because MessageBox doesn't let you use arbitrary button text, writing a full-fledged dialog is more work."

    But it's not really that much additional work to roll your own dialog. If you need more than one, then make a customizable dialog as a common component. If you are doing a one off internal app, then the time saved may be worth it, but this time savings is totally lost if only one or two customers get confused, mess things up and then call support.

  • katastrofa (unregistered) in reply to dpm
    dpm:
    instead of labelling the buttons directly with the action 
        [SAVE THEN QUIT]     [JUST QUIT]     [CANCEL]

    It's ridiculous to add the extra level of verbosity.

    Or better

    Save and quit / Quit without saving / Don't quit

  • I walked the dinosaur (unregistered)

    9006 is OVER 90000!!!!!!!!!!

  • I walked the dinosaur (unregistered) in reply to I walked the dinosaur
    I walked the dinosaur:
    9006 is OVER 90000!!!!!!!!!!

    9006 is OVER 9000!!!!!!!!!!

  • (cs)

    TRWTF is trying to burn a CD on /dev/null...

    Also, what WM/compositor is this and why are there opaque black bits in the transparent window border?

  • (cs) in reply to atkretsch
    atkretsch:
    Please insert a disk into the (null)

    ...Ouch.

    I agree. I am not inserting anything into my (null), thank you very much

  • tbrown (unregistered) in reply to dpm
    dpm:
    John:
    Are you thinking what I'm thinking B2?

    I think I am, B1!

    You think you're funny but you . . . okay, that is funny (if you get the reference) but Grrrrrrrrr I had successfully blocked that show from my mind after having to watch it with my daughter for so very, very long. Thank you so much.

    I think so Brain, but burlap chafes me so! (one of my all time favorites :-)

  • Mone (unregistered)

    Back in the old days of [Abort][Retry][Fail], this one surely needed a [Fail] option.

  • The Fake WTF (unregistered) in reply to Shambo
    Shambo:
    I had null bananas today too.

    Note from Alex: For a little while, the content of the article simply read "null"; note to self... always preview the article after saving it!

    That's because you should have inserted a disk into the (null).

  • 4thgradeenglsh (unregistered) in reply to Todd
    Todd:
    Bananarama:
    C'mon everyone, its Beat Up On Alex Day! I feel comfortable gloating, because I never make misteaks.

    I have to ask: was the missing apostrophe intentional? I bet it wasn't.

    Jiiiiiiing. That was the sound of the joke going 60000 miles per hour over your head. There are six other mistakes in that paragraph. Find them! Where's Waldo?

  • mabinogi (unregistered)

    TRWTF is the number of people mistaking a Bananas In Pajamas quote for a Pinky and The Brain quote.

  • Anon. (unregistered)

    TRWTF is that any of the knuckle-draggers who frequent Argos can life their arms off the floor long enough to use a digital camera.

  • epoch annie (unregistered)

    doesn't everyone put their cd's where the sun don't shine?

  • Mark (unregistered)
    Please insert a disk into the (null-void)

    Somebody call Ben 10! A killer disk-alien is on the loose!

  • John (unregistered) in reply to dpm
    dpm:
    John:
    Are you thinking what I'm thinking B2?

    I think I am, B1!

    You think you're funny but you . . . okay, that is funny (if you get the reference) but Grrrrrrrrr I had successfully blocked that show from my mind after having to watch it with my daughter for so very, very long. Thank you so much.
    I wonder how many got the reference ...

  • aristos_achaion (unregistered) in reply to Old Coder
    Old Coder:
    SteveB:
    The Novell Groupwise one isn't much of a WTF.

    Assuming a "busy search" queries people's calendars to see whether they're busy at the proposed time, "Do you want to perform a busy search or edit the item before rescheduling" is a perfectly reasonable question.

    You're moving a meeting. Do you want check that all of the attendees are still available at the new time you've specified, and do you want to edit the body text of the revised meeting request?

    Yes: I'll check availabilities and/or put a note into the new meeting request apologising for having to reschedule.

    No: Go ahead and reschedule for the new time

    Cancel: Forget it, leave the meeting where it is.

    It's poor UI design, because you are asked two questions simultaneously while only being given Yes/No as an answer. If the intent is to offer two choices, the buttons should be labelled "Search", "Edit" and "Cancel" (Cancel meaning you don't want to do either).

    The problem is that you're asked if you want to do this before you take another action, rescheduling. I read the box as "do you want to be taken to a screen where you can edit or perform a busy search [yes], go ahead and reschedule the meeting [no], or cancel the rescheduling [cancel]". Yeah, the UI design sucks...probably better to go with [Search][Edit][Reschedule][cancel]

  • Crocodile (unregistered)

    The real WTF here is using a BMP image on the web.

    718kb, for what would have been a 60kb JPEG.

  • Tamber (unregistered) in reply to joemck
    joemck:
    Also, what WM/compositor is this and why are there opaque black bits in the transparent window border?

    Looks like gnome with compiz to me.

  • woohoo (unregistered)

    "I'm used to Window's crazy messages"

    Hm... "Window's"... So regarding to this apostrophe setting, the thing in question is called "Window" in nominative? ;o)

  • SomeGuy (unregistered) in reply to mabinogi
    mabinogi:
    TRWTF is the number of people mistaking a Bananas In Pajamas quote for a Pinky and The Brain quote.

    I think Bananas In Pajamas is an Australian show so most people here would have never heard of it

  • Serpardum (unregistered) in reply to atkretsch

    That's not an error, that's what you have to do when you backup your bitbucket.

  • more randomer than you (unregistered) in reply to ChiefCrazyTalk
    ChiefCrazyTalk:
    9006 is not bigger than 9006 - it is the same.

    oh really? are you sure?

    phew! now I get it! That sounds like pointing out that 9006 is not bigger than 9006 in a dialog box is an amusing error. I hope someone takes a screenshot and posts it on a website for others to look at!

  • more randomer than you (unregistered) in reply to Crocodile
    Crocodile:
    The real WTF here is using a BMP image on the web.

    718kb, for what would have been a 60kb JPEG.

    The real wtf is that you're still surfing the web using a 36K modem.

  • Chris (unregistered) in reply to jellomonkey
    jellomonkey:
    The dumbest idiot should be able to understand it, after all - you're using a computer.

    HCI (Human Computer Interaction) Day 1 - Everything (from toothbrushes to computer programs) should be designed so that a person of average intelligence can use it with no instruction.

    The 'dumbest idiot' cannot be someone of 'average intelligence'.

  • (cs)

    Ah man, no Fail button? Come on, if you're gonna act like DOS don't do it half way.

  • pedant (unregistered) in reply to more randomer than you
    more randomer than you:
    ChiefCrazyTalk:
    9006 is not bigger than 9006 - it is the same.

    oh really? are you sure?

    phew! now I get it! That sounds like pointing out that 9006 is not bigger than 9006 in a dialog box is an amusing error. I hope someone takes a screenshot and posts it on a website for others to look at!

    I just hope the screenshot of which you speak will tell us how long the operation took to six significant figures.

  • (cs) in reply to Anonymous
    TRWTF is that Christoph believes the magical file fairy will convert a BMP to PNG if you change the extension.
    In any other image editor but MS Paint, typing a filename ending in .png in the save dialog box will indeed cause it to save a PNG image. This is a MS Paint WTF, not a user WTF.
  • (cs) in reply to ChiefCrazyTalk
    ChiefCrazyTalk:
    9006 is not bigger than 9006 - it is the same. So, it should be bigger is a valid message. Sounds like if it was 9007 there would be no error.

    If the error said,

    <n> (which equals 9006) should be bigger than 9006
    it could have been a good error. However, since it basically said
    <n> should be bigger than <n>
    it's a horrible error message. Especially since I've seen many similar error messages in code blocks which were intended to never run. From one particular coder. (Um, Tim? Is that you? How's it going? Have you not yet learned to tempt fate like that?)

  • Julia (unregistered)

    How complex could the code for giant, stationary bananas really be? what exactly are these fiends planning?

  • (cs) in reply to Sean
    Sean:
    Which button in that image is active? They're all different.
  • spelling nazi (unregistered)

    My guess is that the Yes/No boxes are the descendants of a crop of user-friendly CLI programs that might ask, "do you want to do foo? (y/n)" to which you respond with Y or N.

    I say user-friendly because earlier programs, especially unix stuff like vi, expect the user to be perfect and unfailing. No prompts, just complete death if you make a typo.

    As far as buttons are concerned, I'm on the side of those who think the action should be right on the button. Who says that they have to be these little 15px by 7px squares, anyway? I like the way it's done in Paint.NET. Also, I like that in OSX the modal dialogs are tied to the program...there's no chance of losing one or the other, unlike in Windows where some things get are cool enough to get a spot on the taskbar and others aren't.

  • Marcello (unregistered) in reply to ath

    Well... at least now you have popup windows with error messages. that's a huge step ahead from the command line saying "error 903" and staring blankly at you. :|

    M

  • cheapie (unregistered) in reply to ath
    ath:
    "Insert the disk into the (null)" is so much more than just an error message. It's a Zen-error message which requires years of pondering before you understand it's true meaning... OK, Linux has a slightly steeper learning curve than Windows...

    What about "eject: unable to eject, last error: not a typewriter"?

Leave a comment on “Poor Bananas”

Log In or post as a guest

Replying to comment #:

Log Out

« Return to Article