> -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Friday, August 17, 2001 12:18 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: Usability in linux (was RE: [newbie] ERROR 2002: Can't > connect to > > > > Why can't programmers put informational error messages in > there code. For > > example, this mysql problem, why couldn't they have made > the error something > > like: > > > ERROR 2002: Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket > > '/var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock' (111) > > Well, if the error message was less verbose, then the people > who really > knew what a socket was, where /var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock was > and what to > do about the message might not have enough information to fix > the problem. > One has to be able to balance between too much > 'programmer-speak' and not > enough. > No, i would prefer really realy verbose error messages and zero programmer speak. For my programs I have a -v flag or verbose seeting that you can set either on the command line or in the config file. If you set it to 5 you get lots and lots of information, if you set it to 0 or 1 you get the terse programmer speak. ps: my complaint is not really about mysql, it's about 99% of the software out there. The user it too much at the mercy of what the programmer feels is the "right way of doing things" and what is "most important", often these two perspectives don't jive. That's fine, the programmer might know better, but the programmer has the extra job of making some honest effort of understanding the "user psychology" as best s/he can and enlightening the user why it's better one way instead of the other. The user is already forced into making the effort to understanding the programmer's point of view because the programmer left the user no choice. You'd think the programmer would meet the user half way. Right? If an architect builds a house s/he thinks about how the "user" will live in the house, what sorts of usability problems might come up, and how to resolve those problems as best as possible before-hand. But I don't think the software architect keeps these things in mind when s/he is constructing software.
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