Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2000 23:52:23 +0100 From: The Unicorn <unicorn@blackhats.org> To: Jeroen Ruigrok van der Werven <asmodai@bart.nl> Cc: Paul Hernaus <Paul.Hernaus@nl.origin-it.com>, Sheldon Hearn <sheldonh@FreeBSD.ORG>, cvs-committers@FreeBSD.ORG, cvs-all@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: cvs commit: src/usr.sbin/pkg_install/delete perform.c Message-ID: <20000111235223.I98148@unicorn.blackhats.org> In-Reply-To: <20000111200333.B4548@lucifer.bart.nl>; from asmodai@bart.nl on Tue, Jan 11, 2000 at 08:03:33PM %2B0100 References: <200001111237.EAA12579@freefall.freebsd.org> <20000111142659.A841@itchy.mpn.cp.philips.com> <20000111200333.B4548@lucifer.bart.nl>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Hi Jeroen!
On Tue, 11 Jan 2000, Jeroen Ruigrok van der Werven wrote:
> -On [20000111 14:30], Paul Hernaus (Paul.Hernaus@nl.origin-it.com) wrote:
> >>
> >> Use a more helpful fatal error message than "Toto! This doesn't look
> >> like Kansas anymore!" when unable to return to the original working
> >> directory.
> >
> >What a sad world this is. I rather liked the "silly" error message.
> >I even used it as an example of UNIX humor.
>
> I side with Sheldon on this one.
>
> Imagine being a clueless newbie who stumbles unto this error. Are you
> going to answer messages in freebsd-questions about this?
Well that's where good documentation comes in handy ;-) Just document
the error message and leave it. If we are going to eliminate all these
rather funny messages from the code the *NIX world will become a "sad
world" indeed. I am not opting to return to the 'ed' days, where the
_only_ error message was "?", but some tongue in cheek makes life
worthwhile (even if encountered in an error message). If we are going
the serious way, what will be next? Editing the comments in the source
code, eliminating /* You're not supposed to understand this */ kind of
messages as well? I truly hope not...
And on the serious side, thank you (and the others) for providing us
with ever better documentation! Chapeaux (pardon my french ;-).
> Thanks for fixing it Sheldon, it got me by surprise the first time I
> encountered it as well.
>
> --
> Jeroen Ruigrok van der Werven Network- and systemadministrator
--- End of Quoted Text ---
Ciao,
Unicorn.
--
======= _ __,;;;/ TimeWaster ================================================
,;( )_, )~\| A Truly Wise Man Never Plays PGP: 64 07 5D 4C 3F 81 22 73
;; // `--; Leapfrog With A Unicorn... 52 9D 87 08 51 AA 35 F0
==='= ;\ = | ==== Youth is Not a Time in Life, It is a State of Mind! =======
To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
with "unsubscribe cvs-all" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?20000111235223.I98148>