Comments on: “Erroring off?” http://www.chrishowie.com/2008/07/23/erroring-off/ Trading social skills for technical prowess since 1994 Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:07:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: cathy http://www.chrishowie.com/2008/07/23/erroring-off/#comment-7912 cathy Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:04:47 +0000 http://www.chrishowie.com/?p=95#comment-7912 Even geeks need grammar police. Thanks for your vigilante-ism.... is that a word?!? Even geeks need grammar police. Thanks for your vigilante-ism…. is that a word?!?

]]> By: intro http://www.chrishowie.com/2008/07/23/erroring-off/#comment-7903 intro Sun, 27 Jul 2008 09:00:03 +0000 http://www.chrishowie.com/?p=95#comment-7903 my life erroring off with vista AHHH!!! my life erroring off with vista AHHH!!!

]]> By: Chris http://www.chrishowie.com/2008/07/23/erroring-off/#comment-7899 Chris Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:27:39 +0000 http://www.chrishowie.com/?p=95#comment-7899 The very same strip I was thinking of when I wrote this. :) The very same strip I was thinking of when I wrote this. :)

]]> By: Michael http://www.chrishowie.com/2008/07/23/erroring-off/#comment-7898 Michael Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:32:53 +0000 http://www.chrishowie.com/?p=95#comment-7898 "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbing" rel="nofollow">Verbing</a> weirds language" -- Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson “Verbing weirds language”
– Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson

]]> By: Chris http://www.chrishowie.com/2008/07/23/erroring-off/#comment-7896 Chris Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:19:16 +0000 http://www.chrishowie.com/?p=95#comment-7896 As an analogy to a plane crash, I have no problem using "crash" to describe a program exception (particularly a segfault). IMO, services go down, programs crash, and hardware fails. Really, really bad hardware failures can also be crashes, such as hard drive failures as you say. As an analogy to a plane crash, I have no problem using “crash” to describe a program exception (particularly a segfault). IMO, services go down, programs crash, and hardware fails. Really, really bad hardware failures can also be crashes, such as hard drive failures as you say.

]]> By: Jay http://www.chrishowie.com/2008/07/23/erroring-off/#comment-7895 Jay Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:05:20 +0000 http://www.chrishowie.com/?p=95#comment-7895 If it's a program error, I tend to prefer the phrase: "threw an error". There's a slight connotation in that which is: it's the program that is causing the error, not some random transient thing we can't understand. It implies a specific error and a specific place in the code to investigate. Also, if it's a server, I prefer "went down" over crashed. I like to reserve crash for an actual physical hard drive crash. I think too many people equate "computer not doing what I want" to "computer crashed." I think there's a real opportunity to lead by example there. ;) If it’s a program error, I tend to prefer the phrase: “threw an error”. There’s a slight connotation in that which is: it’s the program that is causing the error, not some random transient thing we can’t understand. It implies a specific error and a specific place in the code to investigate.

Also, if it’s a server, I prefer “went down” over crashed. I like to reserve crash for an actual physical hard drive crash. I think too many people equate “computer not doing what I want” to “computer crashed.” I think there’s a real opportunity to lead by example there. ;)

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