Unhelpful Computer Software Alert
Or koan, depending on how you see it:
Depending upon your career you may spend many hours per day working at a computer, as we web designers do. Dealing with minor software and hardware issues is a pedestrian annoyance, yet it elicits human responses ranging from mellow to utterly enraged (hint: I usually try to stay toward the former end of the scale).
Usability dictates that when a system produces an error message, it should present a bit of of actionable advice, rather than reflect some obscure inner logic that the average user doesn’t know or care about. But not all programmers are concerned with usability.
Occasionally our computers surprise us with little gems such as the above, leading us to believe—if only for a moment—that their inner logic embodies wisdom and humanity. I savored this one for the better part of an afternoon.
