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Should error messages apologize? (2013)

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Re: Should error messages apologize? (2013)

#171

Post by marcosdumay »

hbn wrote: post #109
rogual wrote: post #66

I don't even like "We" in UI messages. "We couldn't find that site." "We're just updating your computer." Perhaps I'm just an old fogey, but passive voice feels like the only right choice: "The site could not be found." "Your computer is being updated." The insertion of "We" feels like an imposition; the company who wrote the code reaching in and enacting their will with your equipment, using your screen as their soa…

I blame Google for popularizing that. Honestly it was fine enough for a YouTube error, "we couldn't find that video." But then everyone started copying it, including Microsoft who, in Windows 8, updated the blue screen of death to have a "whoopsie poopsie! Your computer has a widdle boo boo!" type message, accented with a :( sad face emoticon. Which I can guarantee was presented to countless people who lost real work…

It's perfectly fine to use "we" in a message on a web site. It's not fine on local software.

Re: Should error messages apologize? (2013)

#172

Post by photochemsyn »

rogual wrote: post #66

I don't even like "We" in UI messages. "We couldn't find that site." "We're just updating your computer." Perhaps I'm just an old fogey, but passive voice feels like the only right choice: "The site could not be found." "Your computer is being updated." The insertion of "We" feels like an imposition; the company who wrote the code reaching in and enacting their will with your equipment, using your screen as their soa…

I like the idea of haiku error messages (as in Neil Gaiman/Terry Pratchett's Good Omens). "Site not found" becomes, with some LLM assistance:

Amidst cyberspace vast,

Site elusive, lost in void,

Unreachable code.

Re: Should error messages apologize? (2013)

#174

Post by forinti »

I grew up using British software. It would be very polite.

  Please enter your name.
Nowadays, I see this level of terseness in software:

  Name:
And error messages are usually an afterthought, so the concept of politeness doesn't even appear on the radar.

  Error: null.
There's a turnstyle I use everyday that simply orders you to "Leave" or "Enter".

I think UIs should apologise if something that's not the user's fault happens (no network connection); be polite when giving orders (please do this or that); and be very precise when indicating input errors and suggest a course of action.

Re: Should error messages apologize? (2013)

#175

Post by ukuina »

rogual wrote: post #66

I don't even like "We" in UI messages. "We couldn't find that site." "We're just updating your computer." Perhaps I'm just an old fogey, but passive voice feels like the only right choice: "The site could not be found." "Your computer is being updated." The insertion of "We" feels like an imposition; the company who wrote the code reaching in and enacting their will with your equipment, using your screen as their soa…

Or, go the other way and slightly insult the user's intelligence: "You cannot perform that action on that selection because it would violate causality"

Strictly professionally, of course.

Re: Should error messages apologize? (2013)

#176

Post by c22 »

I don't really care if the error message is cute or whatever. What I care most about is that you did everything possible to prevent me from even seeing the error in the first place. Then, once you've determined the error is not recoverable without user intervention make sure to tell me about it in a way that's actionable on my part. I should immediately know after reading the error whether I should:

• Immediately try again

• Wait some time and try again

• Change my input and try again, or

• Give up and walk away

Re: Should error messages apologize? (2013)

#177

Post by mzs »

tanjtanjtanj wrote: post #142
mzs wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't even like verbs: "site not found" "software updating" edit: better: "update in progress"

"Found" and "Updating" are verbs, you just changed the tense.

I guess, they are all missing 'to be' so incorrect - I don't know what to call that precisely - correct versions I avoid:

"site cannot be found"

"software is updating"/"updating is in progress"

Re: Should error messages apologize? (2013)

#178

Post by 01HNNWZ0MV43FF »

planede wrote: post #110

The only GCC error that apologizes (that I know of): https://godbolt.org/z/GMxz5c339 "sorry, unimplemented". It really felt out-of-place when I first encountered it, but I think it messages intent a bit more than a simple "unimplemented" error message. It at least suggests that this is a shortcoming of the current implementation, so it might get implemented in a later version. Having said that clang also doesn't impl…

Rust's `todo!` macro actually standardizes this as "Not yet implemented" https://doc.rust-lang.org/src/core/macros/mod.rs.html#871

Re: Should error messages apologize? (2013)

#179

Post by kragen »

hulkmusic wrote: post #105
kragen wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

this sounds similar to my thesis in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39286124 ; what do you think of that comment?

I know this wasn't intentional, but when I click this link, I get a "No such item" error message, which I find to be ironic given the nature of this discussion. The link just has a trailing semicolon that needs to be removed, though.

we deeply regret the error and appreciate you bringing it to our attention

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39286124

Re: Should error messages apologize? (2013)

#180

Post by LesZedCB »

mzs wrote: post #177
tanjtanjtanj wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Found" and "Updating" are verbs, you just changed the tense.

I guess, they are all missing 'to be' so incorrect - I don't know what to call that precisely - correct versions I avoid: "site cannot be found" "software is updating"/"updating is in progress"

> gerund: a form that is derived from a verb but that functions as a noun, in English ending in -ing, e.g., asking in do you mind my asking you?.
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