Macworld:
The error messages you see when something goes wrong with your software or hardware often offer you no help, nor give you any clue as to what is causing the problem.
Error messages on the Mac often appear as Zen kōans; they suggest that you ponder the deeper meaning of the universe in order to understand what they mean.
This has been an eternal frustration for Mac users, more so for those of us who used the OS before OS X when these error messages seemed even more frequent. They’ve always been frustratingly opaque.
The issue is that if the error message can provide solutions, generally enough is known that it could be automatically handled (and the error message avoided altogether). Displaying an error message is generally the measure of last resort, so the issue is not so much making error messages more intelligible or actionable, but minimizing the number of times you end up having to display one.
Not just Mac users. I’ve felt this way since DOS.
Wouldn’t it be nice if the software actually had any idea what was wrong?
(I am not being sarcastic, particularly.
I’m a programmer.
Usually you’re honestly just passing along an external error or giving up in disgust from an exception with no idea why the hell it’s not working.
As Mr. Stewart said below, if it was easily detected and diagnosed it’d be a clearer message … or resolve itself.)
Sometimes. But way back when, I worked with another person on the errors PageMaker displayed (I SAID it was way back when!) . We revised all of the strings and saw install support calls drop significantly (like 25%). Why? Because a log of those calls were disk full errors but the old message didn’t just say that. We said that and added something like “remove unneeded files to free up space”. Even some of the remaining calls were easier because the message was clearer and the support tech could walk them through things faster.
It’s funny because the out of disk message is one of the examples from the article and the author claims it is “more than perplexing.”
I agree that it is important to make errors that have known causes that are out of the program’s control accessible by users so users can resolve the issue.
Would be nice if error message can link to Apple’s specific KB pages 🙂
Unknown error has occurred from unknown. Classic.
Almost as helpful as a postscript error, almost.
Seriously though, many error messages could be much clearer and dynamic as well. Recently my iMac has been shutting down and giving me graphic artifacts, you know the little colored squares. After the iMac unexpectedly shutdown it would give me the usual message after starting up again. But we all know by looking in the logs, (because we have been using computers since commodore Vic 20’s) that there is some reason why. Of course there was, the Nvidea card had an error. That error could have been included in the message at startup.
Windows 10 has an error message that simply says “Something happened.” I facepalm every time I see it because they went from actual helpful messages all the time to sometimes just showing that one.
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I have a screen cap of a Microsoft error handling screen advising me that ‘null’ had caused an error, and that a newer version of ‘null’ might fix my problem….
Yeh but they could at least tell us the process name that threw the error. Also, they’re displaying error numbers. That means there is a LIST OF ERRORS somewhere corresponding to the numbers. In English even, I’ll wager.
I dressed up as a PostScript error for a costume party, once. Oddly, nobody was happy to see me.
…and Apple software updates listed bug fixes… and it took an age to get Apple to acknowledge that the MacPro wasn’t perfect.
Apple just don’t like communicating about errors.
Pictures please, or an accurate description in lieu please. : )
It was at a trade show, and my execution wasn’t what you’d call “inspired.” I’d brought along a bunch of error-ridden printouts that I’d trimmed and mounted in strips onto foam-core. Pinned them all over my white shirt. Wore my nerdly Hand-Eze gloves and tried to laugh demonically at people who asked whatever the hell I was supposed to be.
A pair of optivisors and I’d have loved to see it. Actually the laughing demonicallly would have been enough for me. Bwahaha ha.
Okay, maybe nether of us are all that normal, but I would have laughed my head off.
Then of course taken you apart bit by bit to find out what the error really was, staring with the font(s) of course.
Yeah. Well.
It was at a design conference party. Got an eyeroll from Chip Kidd. I figured I’d be better off at the buffet.
Ach.
Few OS software engineers seem to.
Can you imagine; “Jim, after reviewing some system logs, your iMac shut down unexpectedly due to a graphic card problem. It appears it may be getting hot and shutting down to avoid additional damage”
or something similar and even better thought out.
NONE of this is technically impossible, certainly not today.
“Mo, the reason the cooling fans on your 2010 Mac Pro are now drowning out the sound of passing fire trucks and demolition work at the high school next door, is that there’s a heat-sink problem on your overheated graphic card, most likely due to the evaporation of the thermal grease that would facilitate heat dissipation. I’ll surmise this is probably why you haven’t played any games recently.
“Also, that’s a very handsome ‘Rogue-NASA’ t-shirt you’re wearing, if I may say so.”
Exactly.