Irritating product design

[fullyautomatix]

I am currently using a VPN client software to login to a client web server.

After finishing what I want, I want to terminate the application and so I right click and say "Exit" and this brings up a dialogue box.

Do you wish to terminate the session? "Yes" and "No". Problem is the "Yes" button initially starts disabled with a time counter which starts counting down from 10. Once it reaches 0, the button becomes enables and the text becomes "Yes".

How annoying. As if presenting me with a confirmation box was not enough they want me to think for 10 seconds over this.

[thunderlizard]

I think it must be some kind of superiority complex that makes developers put those confirmation dialogs on shutdown (when there's no question of losing unsaved work).

"What? You want to close my app? Are you out of your senses? Because it you close it by accident, it could take as many as 2 clicks and 5 seconds to start another instance!"

[OwlHoot]

I am currently using a VPN client software to login to a client web server.

After finishing what I want, I want to terminate the application and so I right click and say "Exit" and this brings up a dialogue box.

Do you wish to terminate the session? "Yes" and "No". Problem is the "Yes" button initially starts disabled with a time counter which starts counting down from 10. Once it reaches 0, the button becomes enables and the text becomes "Yes".

How annoying. As if presenting me with a confirmation box was not enough they want me to think for 10 seconds over this.

It sounds like a trial version. If so, try paying for it cheapskate!

[stek]

I heard about (but never actually sought provenance of) a script that said:

'Do you want to back up the database or have you already done so?'

Yes/No?

[Sysman]

I heard about (but never actually sought provenance of) a script that said:

'Do you want to back up the database or have you already done so?'

Yes/No?

There was a software installer which always started out with "Are you satisfied with your system disk backup?", offering a get out if you weren't. In early days it made you stop and think, but as time wore on you automatically answered "Yes" to continue.

[NickFitz]

I heard about (but never actually sought provenance of) a script that said:

'Do you want to back up the database or have you already done so?'

Yes/No?

I was always baffled by Notepad's behaviour if you tried to save an empty text file: it put up a dialog saying "You have not entered any text to be saved. Type some text, and then try again." - in fact, here's a piccy:

[Cliphead]

I was always baffled by Notepad's behaviour if you tried to save an empty text file: it put up a dialog saying "You have not entered any text to be saved. Type some text, and then try again." - in fact, here's a piccy:

Can't beat touch.

[Drewster]

There was a software installer which always started out with "Are you satisfied with your system disk backup?", offering a get out if you weren't. In early days it made you stop and think, but as time wore on you automatically answered "Yes" to continue.

Reminds me of good old fashioned Lotus macros.... written by Users......

"Experienced User" sets up some Automation for "Inexperienced Users"... via (poxy) Menu driven process.....

EU knows to do Action 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.... cos he is "Experienced"

EU automatically codes the Exit Option to be /qy....

IU doesn't know to do Act 1, 2, 3,4 etc.... So when they "Exit" - It does.... (somewhat obviously "losing" all their carefully entered data)...

EU "Trouble shoots" but can't find any errors "It always works!!! I've Tested it 100s of times"....

EU eventually raises URGENT Help Desk call because "Lotus is not working properly"......

Try to explain to EU and his manager that although EU might be an experienced <cough> User... His is not actually competent to write "systems" for other users and even if he is - he really should get someone else to Test what he thinks he has done..........

This was the same user who (obviously NOT learning his lesson) "migrated" a <cough> Dataease Database from a standalone PC onto a Network for about a dozen people to use..... although he (unfortunately) hadn't realised that there is a "slight" difference in requirements for record locking and data integrity in a multi user system than the Stand alone system.....

I think the initial setup from the S/O version was to lock the Database (by the first user) until they had done everything..... before locking everything for the next in the queue (after leaving them "hanging")

So he (without contacting support obviously) turned off all record locking...... Which really speeded it up........
but unfortunately caused a total Horlicks where records "I know I have entered and saved" disappeared.....

He kept applying for Jobs in IT...............

I am sure this has no relevance at all but - He was a Marillion Fan!

[Sysman]

This was the same user who (obviously NOT learning his lesson) "migrated" a <cough> Dataease Database from a standalone PC onto a Network for about a dozen people to use..... although he (unfortunately) hadn't realised that there is a "slight" difference in requirements for record locking and data integrity in a multi user system than the Stand alone system.....

I think the initial setup from the S/O version was to lock the Database (by the first user) until they had done everything..... before locking everything for the next in the queue (after leaving them "hanging")

So he (without contacting support obviously) turned off all record locking...... Which really speeded it up........
but unfortunately caused a total Horlicks where records "I know I have entered and saved" disappeared.....

He kept applying for Jobs in IT...............

A couple of memories:

• the ex-PC programmer who was programming on a multiuser system. When the screen was whizzing past too quickly, instead of putting in a "Hit any key to continue" he put in a GOTO loop for a thousand or so iterations (weel that's what it said to do in the BBC BASIC manual innit?). Small wonder the rest of the system's users were complaining that system performance was "lumpy".
• the set of programmers who hadn't a clue about record locking, so didn't test for it. When they twigged, their answer was to ensure that no more than one user could execute a given program concurrently

[Cliphead]

Early versions of Lotus would allow the user to save a file with spaces in the file name but couldn't open it again. Remember PC Tools? Xtree? Invaluable utils.