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This is an interesting error I find many older users making. I call it a "way out of context error". There is no reason whatsoever to assume that the software w
by noonespecial 16y ago
This is an interesting error I find many older users making. I call it a "way out of context error". There is no reason whatsoever to assume that the software was calling you a dolt. This should cause the user to look for an alternative interpretation but somehow, they just don't.
- dhimes 16y agoKeep in mind when this was. To most people computers were things in movies that caught fire when errors occurred. They commandeered spaceships and sacrificed humans for their own pitiless amusement. Some people had their own computers, but most people never had never used one before and never imagined that they would use one. So it probably wasn't all that far out of context because the context wasn't well defined for them.
- raganwald 16y agoThe "context" is entirely a fabrication of programmers. If you have years of experience with computers, you know what they should and shouldn't do. You know that a programmer might call a user an idiot in a comment or on a Usenet forum, but not in a dialog button. If you've never seen a computer before, you have no such idea, which is exactly why testing like this is necessary: Programmers have too much experience with the "context" to recognize when something might be confusing or outright offensive. See also: "Abort." p.s. re-reading my text, it might look like I'm disagreeing with the parent comment. that is not my intention, rather I'm agreeing with the parent and attempting to explain why this might be the case.