I always amused myself daydreaming of writing code that would catch errors then insult the user and finally revoking their account.
Should error messages apologize? (2013)
61–70 of 262 posts
Re: Should error messages apologize? (2013)
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm not sure what you are trying to say. Yes, there is a difference in the two examples you gave, although it would have been nice if you had been more specific about what you meant. What I notice is that the first option the apology comes from the company and the people in it, and intended to imply they see it as their responsibility to fix things. The second would imply that Alice is personally to blame for the can…
> I'm not sure what you are trying to say. Your remark was "The app didn't write the error message, the people implementing the app did". I responded by saying that you can't tell who the human is. > it would have been nice if you had been more specific about what you meant It's the very first sentence: you can't identify the human. I showed an example of why it's different when you can tell that there is a human inv…
Are you suggesting that the hypothetical anonymous apology by the flight company in your example is insincere and shouldn't have been given? Because if not it changes very little about the actual point, which is whether such apologies make sense or not.
Re: Should error messages apologize? (2013)
#63(2013)
Re: Should error messages apologize? (2013)
#64Thank the Lord in the Spanish translations of software they drop the "sorries" and the "pleases". That much amount of grovelling must be some American thing I reckon.
Unfortunately some American companies are starting to cheapen out on translations by having them made in Mexico even for software used in Spain so the sorries and the pleases and some other spanglish terms are coming here.
Re: Should error messages apologize? (2013)
#65Thank the Lord in the Spanish translations of software they drop the "sorries" and the "pleases". That much amount of grovelling must be some American thing I reckon. Unfortunately some American companies are starting to cheapen out on translations by having them made in Mexico even for software used in Spain so the sorries and the pleases and some other spanglish terms are coming here.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the people contracting Mexican translators for software released in Spain dont know that Spanish dialects differ a fair bit.
Re: Should error messages apologize? (2013)
#66I 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 soapbox. It's icky.
And without "we", there can of course be no "we apologize".
Re: Should error messages apologize? (2013)
#67I suspect there are cultural preferences here, there's no reason to believe there's one correct answer for all of humanity. I'm from the US but I've traveled to places where it's considered rude to say "no" directly and apologies aren't common. Like when trying to order an unavailable item from a menu: - I'd like the beef burger - The chicken burger is very good - That's OK, can I have the beef burger? - Our hot dogs…
> We're in a thought bubble otherwise
"HN commenter" is already a much tighter bubble than "the West".
Re: Should error messages apologize? (2013)
#68> it would be more appropriate to "apologize" for something that would be considered solely the "fault" of the application Is this in part a US vs English difference? I used to work with somebody from Texas who was confused and irritated by the english use of 'sorry' for things they weren't responsible for. In english I suppose we use it out of politeness to express some sympathy, rather than necessarily as an apolog…
> I used to work with somebody from Texas who was confused and irritated by the english use of 'sorry' for things they weren't responsible for. Funerals must be bewildering for them. How do they phrase "I'm sorry for your loss"?
wow, I just dove into this via chatgpt and it was very interesting. I also found the use of sorry to mean something other than fault admission to be odd, never realised it was 2 cultures clashing
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They often say "You and your family are in our prayers."
In Texas, the expression "You and your family are in our prayers" is commonly used at funerals instead of "sorry for your loss." This reflects the strong faith and community support present in the culture. Additionally, Texans might use phrases like "They're in a better place now" or "We're here for you," emphasizing spiritual comfort and solidarity.
Re: Should error messages apologize? (2013)
#69I think prefixing with "sorry," is a good idea but I really hate cutesy error messages. I feel the Chrome dinosaur kicked those off, and I do (did?) like the dino. But "it's not you, it's us" is very annoying. "We made a booboo UwU". When something has gone wrong I really don't want to feel I'm being marketed to, I just want information!
I think the canonical cutesy error message is
> OOPSIE WOOPSIE!! Uwu We made a fucky wucky!! A wittle fucko boingo! The code monkeys at our headquarters are working VEWY HAWD to fix this!
Re: Should error messages apologize? (2013)
#70No, developers should.