Pet Peeve of the Week: "It asserts"
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You know what I hate? When people butcher the word "assert" when describing program behavior.
Other: "I was running some tests this weekend, and the server asserted." Me: "Of course it did." *goes back to work* Other: "Umm, isn't that a problem?" Me: "No, there are assert statements in our code. They're used for error checking when the error is not something that can be handled by normal error-handling code, and should never happen in the wild." Other: "Well, the server crashed after that." Me: "Oh, you mean an assertion failed."
To assert means to affirm something. In programming, an assertion is a statement of assumptions. It's not an error. A failed assertion is an error. Don't tell me that a program asserted. Tell me that an assertion failed. Tim Lesher tim@lesher.ws www.lesher.ws WinDev: the Windows Developers' Mailing List
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Oh, come on, don't get so picky about your users. You get valuable information from them. A typical support call: User: "it stopped working." Me: "Could you please be more specific? What stopped working?" User: "An error message appeared, with a number on it" Me: "Which message? Which number?" User: "I don't know, I clicked 'ok'" Me: "What were you doing?" User: "Oh, I was only using it normally" I would LOVE if someone called me telling my program asserted. :mad: I see dumb people
Oh, come on, don't get so picky about your users. You assume it was a user and not another programmer who should know better... Oh, and in case any current coworkers are reading, no, this wasn't at my current job... Tim Lesher tim@lesher.ws www.lesher.ws WinDev: the Windows Developers' Mailing List
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Oh, come on, don't get so picky about your users. You get valuable information from them. A typical support call: User: "it stopped working." Me: "Could you please be more specific? What stopped working?" User: "An error message appeared, with a number on it" Me: "Which message? Which number?" User: "I don't know, I clicked 'ok'" Me: "What were you doing?" User: "Oh, I was only using it normally" I would LOVE if someone called me telling my program asserted. :mad: I see dumb people
The company I work for has many products, and yet we get support calls: "I was running Cognos (the company name), and it crashed." Well, WHICH ONE OF OUR PRODUCTS!!?! :mad: That's why I ramble so much. If you're short and quotable, there's a much greater danger of ending up in a sig. [Christopher Duncan on how to prevent yourself from ending up in a sig] I prefer to wear gloves when using it, but that's merely a matter of personal hygiene[Roger Wright on VB] (sorry Christian)
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Oh, come on, don't get so picky about your users. You get valuable information from them. A typical support call: User: "it stopped working." Me: "Could you please be more specific? What stopped working?" User: "An error message appeared, with a number on it" Me: "Which message? Which number?" User: "I don't know, I clicked 'ok'" Me: "What were you doing?" User: "Oh, I was only using it normally" I would LOVE if someone called me telling my program asserted. :mad: I see dumb people
Daniel Turini wrote: I would LOVE if someone called me telling my program asserted. I don't wanna appear all "practicable" but why don't you log the assertions. Regardz Colin J Davies
Sonork ID 100.9197:Colin
You are the intrepid one, always willing to leap into the fray! A serious character flaw, I might add, but entertaining. Said by Roger Wright about me.
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You know what I hate? When people butcher the word "assert" when describing program behavior.
Other: "I was running some tests this weekend, and the server asserted." Me: "Of course it did." *goes back to work* Other: "Umm, isn't that a problem?" Me: "No, there are assert statements in our code. They're used for error checking when the error is not something that can be handled by normal error-handling code, and should never happen in the wild." Other: "Well, the server crashed after that." Me: "Oh, you mean an assertion failed."
To assert means to affirm something. In programming, an assertion is a statement of assumptions. It's not an error. A failed assertion is an error. Don't tell me that a program asserted. Tell me that an assertion failed. Tim Lesher tim@lesher.ws www.lesher.ws WinDev: the Windows Developers' Mailing List
Lucky you! My error descriptions range from "crash", over "crashed horribly", "goes boom", "doesn't work", "never works", "doesn't work anymore", with the temporal modifiers "frequently", "often", "always" and "permanently" (the two latter usually translating to very very often - just not now).
If I could find a souvenir / just to prove the world was here [sighist]
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You know what I hate? When people butcher the word "assert" when describing program behavior.
Other: "I was running some tests this weekend, and the server asserted." Me: "Of course it did." *goes back to work* Other: "Umm, isn't that a problem?" Me: "No, there are assert statements in our code. They're used for error checking when the error is not something that can be handled by normal error-handling code, and should never happen in the wild." Other: "Well, the server crashed after that." Me: "Oh, you mean an assertion failed."
To assert means to affirm something. In programming, an assertion is a statement of assumptions. It's not an error. A failed assertion is an error. Don't tell me that a program asserted. Tell me that an assertion failed. Tim Lesher tim@lesher.ws www.lesher.ws WinDev: the Windows Developers' Mailing List
I agree, that sucks. Especially when heard from a developer. On a similar note, some developers have been heard to say, "the program just crashes", when they really mean "the program just hangs". A crash usually causes a program to end. A hanging program usually NEVER ends. Why can't everyone get it right and be perfect like me? :) /ravi Let's put "civil" back in "civilization" http://www.ravib.com ravib@ravib.com
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I agree, that sucks. Especially when heard from a developer. On a similar note, some developers have been heard to say, "the program just crashes", when they really mean "the program just hangs". A crash usually causes a program to end. A hanging program usually NEVER ends. Why can't everyone get it right and be perfect like me? :) /ravi Let's put "civil" back in "civilization" http://www.ravib.com ravib@ravib.com
Argh. That was going to be my Pet Peeve of the Week for next week. Oh, well. I've got plenty more. Tim Lesher tim@lesher.ws www.lesher.ws WinDev: the Windows Developers' Mailing List
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You know what I hate? When people butcher the word "assert" when describing program behavior.
Other: "I was running some tests this weekend, and the server asserted." Me: "Of course it did." *goes back to work* Other: "Umm, isn't that a problem?" Me: "No, there are assert statements in our code. They're used for error checking when the error is not something that can be handled by normal error-handling code, and should never happen in the wild." Other: "Well, the server crashed after that." Me: "Oh, you mean an assertion failed."
To assert means to affirm something. In programming, an assertion is a statement of assumptions. It's not an error. A failed assertion is an error. Don't tell me that a program asserted. Tell me that an assertion failed. Tim Lesher tim@lesher.ws www.lesher.ws WinDev: the Windows Developers' Mailing List
"Impact" Usage: impacted tooth. meteorite impact - cf. the meteorite has impacted. :-D Not: This will impact our business. We are impacted by this. Ugh! :mad: Blame Wall St., and Powerpoint for that one. Regards Barry
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"Impact" Usage: impacted tooth. meteorite impact - cf. the meteorite has impacted. :-D Not: This will impact our business. We are impacted by this. Ugh! :mad: Blame Wall St., and Powerpoint for that one. Regards Barry
Blame the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. :) Main Entry: 2im·pact Pronunciation: 'im-"pakt Function: noun Date: 1781 1 a : an impinging or striking especially of one body against another b : a forceful contact, collision, or onset; also : the impetus communicated in or as if in a collision 2 : the force of impression of one thing on another : a significant or major effect
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Oh, come on, don't get so picky about your users. You get valuable information from them. A typical support call: User: "it stopped working." Me: "Could you please be more specific? What stopped working?" User: "An error message appeared, with a number on it" Me: "Which message? Which number?" User: "I don't know, I clicked 'ok'" Me: "What were you doing?" User: "Oh, I was only using it normally" I would LOVE if someone called me telling my program asserted. :mad: I see dumb people
Are you stealing our customers??? :)
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You know what I hate? When people butcher the word "assert" when describing program behavior.
Other: "I was running some tests this weekend, and the server asserted." Me: "Of course it did." *goes back to work* Other: "Umm, isn't that a problem?" Me: "No, there are assert statements in our code. They're used for error checking when the error is not something that can be handled by normal error-handling code, and should never happen in the wild." Other: "Well, the server crashed after that." Me: "Oh, you mean an assertion failed."
To assert means to affirm something. In programming, an assertion is a statement of assumptions. It's not an error. A failed assertion is an error. Don't tell me that a program asserted. Tell me that an assertion failed. Tim Lesher tim@lesher.ws www.lesher.ws WinDev: the Windows Developers' Mailing List
Well, you can certainly make the assertion that you are going to assert literal-minded rules on people, who, in all the more likely, are just asserting their ownership of the problem by reporting to you that the assertion dialog asserted on them, granting them the abiltity to assert upon you their assertivness. In other words, they are just reporting exactly what the dialog says. If the wording of the dialog (assertion at line 25) causes confusion, then the dialog/warning needs changed. I think there is a recent article about giving more descrptive error dialogs to users... Now, are you going affect a change, or effect one?
The answer is no, whatever the question is. You can't have it, you don't need it, and you'll break it in five minutes if I give it to you.
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Well, you can certainly make the assertion that you are going to assert literal-minded rules on people, who, in all the more likely, are just asserting their ownership of the problem by reporting to you that the assertion dialog asserted on them, granting them the abiltity to assert upon you their assertivness. In other words, they are just reporting exactly what the dialog says. If the wording of the dialog (assertion at line 25) causes confusion, then the dialog/warning needs changed. I think there is a recent article about giving more descrptive error dialogs to users... Now, are you going affect a change, or effect one?
The answer is no, whatever the question is. You can't have it, you don't need it, and you'll break it in five minutes if I give it to you.
Your point is well-taken, although it flies in the face of your signature. ;-) The dialog in question is the MS C Runtime assertion failure dialog, which says "ASSERTION FAILED!". Plus, the people in question were programmers... it's not as if they didn't know better--they did, it's just a point of grammar. It's a pet peeve. Laugh. Tim Lesher tim@lesher.ws www.lesher.ws WinDev: the Windows Developers' Mailing List
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Blame the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. :) Main Entry: 2im·pact Pronunciation: 'im-"pakt Function: noun Date: 1781 1 a : an impinging or striking especially of one body against another b : a forceful contact, collision, or onset; also : the impetus communicated in or as if in a collision 2 : the force of impression of one thing on another : a significant or major effect
I side with Barry on this one. Note that M-W lists it as a noun. Barry noted its incorrect use as a verb. Note also that every verb in the preceding paragraph is also a noun. ;-) Tim Lesher tim@lesher.ws www.lesher.ws WinDev: the Windows Developers' Mailing List
