Sep 5
And that's helpful how?
Dialog boxes. Oh how I hate dialog boxes - particularly when there's so little dialogue actually involved! Anyone use Outlook? You've probably seen this gem:
So the software is smart enough to see that I entered a comma delimited list, but it's not smart enough to replace them with semicolons for me? Rather than telling me to click cancel and do it myself and press send again, how about just asking if I would like it done for me? Better yet, why ask at all? Software is supposed to make hard things easy. This kind of message is why people hate software: it really makes Outlook sound like a prick. "You've separated the items in your list the common and accepted way in the English language. However, for no apparent reason, I want it another way. Go away and don't come back until you've done it my way." And, while I'm at it, if you don't have any suggestions for me, don't tell me to select an address to use!
"Welcome to my restaurant; what would you like for dinner - but before you tell me, I want you to know we're out of it."
"Well, I'd like the roast chicken, and I'd like a salad for a starter, and a glass of the pinot noir..."
"Sorry, you've ordered your main before the entrée. Please come back in again and place your order in the correct order."
"Seriously?"
"Yes, and pinot doesn't go with chicken..."
