Comments on: Incomprehensible error message of the day http://www.badlanguage.net/incomprehensible-error-message-of-the-day How to communicate Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:47:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Vardaman http://www.badlanguage.net/incomprehensible-error-message-of-the-day#comment-107200 Vardaman Wed, 09 May 2007 18:20:49 +0000 http://www.badlanguage.net/?p=247#comment-107200 Tom, So, what does it mean if one isn't curious? Tom,

So, what does it mean if one isn’t curious?

]]> By: Bad Language / Why are computer dialog boxes so bad? http://www.badlanguage.net/incomprehensible-error-message-of-the-day#comment-1408 Bad Language / Why are computer dialog boxes so bad? Thu, 24 Aug 2006 07:09:37 +0000 http://www.badlanguage.net/?p=247#comment-1408 [...] I wrote a post a few weeks ago about an incomprehensible error message I saw recently.  I also wrote a post about Google’s smart use of language to appear more trustworthy and understandable (Not the usual yada yada). [...] [...] I wrote a post a few weeks ago about an incomprehensible error message I saw recently.  I also wrote a post about Google’s smart use of language to appear more trustworthy and understandable (Not the usual yada yada). [...]

]]> By: Tom http://www.badlanguage.net/incomprehensible-error-message-of-the-day#comment-1268 Tom Fri, 18 Aug 2006 10:02:33 +0000 http://www.badlanguage.net/?p=247#comment-1268 I've been a developer too long - I actually know what that means. Now I must go and shower - Unclean! Unclean! (If anyone is curious, then a window being modal means it demands your attention and you can't get away from it - like error messages - you have to deal with it before you can get back to work. So the error message means it's trying to make one of the windows currently being displayed modal, but it can't. But you either knew that, or didn't want to know I bet.) I’ve been a developer too long - I actually know what that means.

Now I must go and shower - Unclean! Unclean!

(If anyone is curious, then a window being modal means it demands your attention and you can’t get away from it - like error messages - you have to deal with it before you can get back to work. So the error message means it’s trying to make one of the windows currently being displayed modal, but it can’t. But you either knew that, or didn’t want to know I bet.)

]]> By: Robert Hruzek http://www.badlanguage.net/incomprehensible-error-message-of-the-day#comment-1251 Robert Hruzek Thu, 17 Aug 2006 21:28:09 +0000 http://www.badlanguage.net/?p=247#comment-1251 That's not a glitch, that's a feature! That’s not a glitch, that’s a feature!

]]> By: scott http://www.badlanguage.net/incomprehensible-error-message-of-the-day#comment-1235 scott Thu, 17 Aug 2006 16:29:31 +0000 http://www.badlanguage.net/?p=247#comment-1235 I've been trying to make a visible window modal forever, it seems. Should you ever master it, please let me know your secret.s I’ve been trying to make a visible window modal forever, it seems. Should you ever master it, please let me know your secret.s

]]> By: John McGarvey http://www.badlanguage.net/incomprehensible-error-message-of-the-day#comment-1234 John McGarvey Thu, 17 Aug 2006 16:26:20 +0000 http://www.badlanguage.net/?p=247#comment-1234 When I worked for a well-known software company, there was a period when we used a piece of software that originated in Spain. It had been translated into English. Badly. Errors like: "Access denied. Unauthorised" followed by a "yes" button weren't uncommon, but every now and then you'd get a bit of text that they hadn't even bothered trying to translate. Really helpful when you're trying to figure out what's just gone wrong. When I worked for a well-known software company, there was a period when we used a piece of software that originated in Spain. It had been translated into English. Badly. Errors like: “Access denied. Unauthorised” followed by a “yes” button weren’t uncommon, but every now and then you’d get a bit of text that they hadn’t even bothered trying to translate. Really helpful when you’re trying to figure out what’s just gone wrong.

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