Funny Error Message

Vaughn McMillan

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I work in the software development business, so I understand that a developer can inject a bit of humor into a software product. Looks like the vBulletin guys indeed have a sense of humor.

When I was moving Dave's Sketchup tutorial thread to the new Design and Plans forum this afternoon, I mistakenly tried to move it from the Off-Topic forum to the Off-Topic forum. After a minute or so of watching the hourglass icon, this message was displayed:

After much intense calculation, it has been decided that your thread is already in the forum that you wish to move it to.

Deep Thought should be jealous.
I was laughing out loud when I saw it. :D
 
I like it! I was a software developer for many many years and we used to be able to get away with lots of humour in our messages. About 15 yearws ago when I was working for IBM the 'powers that be at IBM' put stop to any humour. That was one of the things that encouraged me to go and work for Microsoft. About 7 years ago, the 'powers that be at Microsoft' put stop to any humour. That was one of the things that encouraged me to retire.
 
Apple software engineers were famous for putting little messages, sometimes graphics, into the OS. They usually were evoked by certain unusual key secuences, or holding down one key and clicking something else. I may be wrong, but I thought they were called something like "cookies" (not to be confused with the current chunk of data called cookies that are used today).
 
Apple software engineers were famous for putting little messages, sometimes graphics, into the OS. They usually were evoked by certain unusual key secuences, or holding down one key and clicking something else. I may be wrong, but I thought they were called something like "cookies" (not to be confused with the current chunk of data called cookies that are used today).

Grag, I think you're referring to "easter eggs". Yes, they had MUCH fun with those.
 
Apple software engineers were famous for putting little messages, sometimes graphics, into the OS. They usually were evoked by certain unusual key secuences, or holding down one key and clicking something else. I may be wrong, but I thought they were called something like "cookies" (not to be confused with the current chunk of data called cookies that are used today).
The messages in that kind of thing were called "Easter Eggs". That's not what I was doing. I was injecting humour into regular messages.
 
:doh: :doh: Yeah, Easter Eggs.... A guy had a site that documented them. You had to really hunt for most of them...

Example of an oldie but goodie...

AppleFax Modem

While holding down the button on the front, turn on the modem. The modem beeps three times. After the three beeps, press the button three times in the same rhythm as the beeps. If your timing is right, the modem pronounces the names of the three Apple engineers who worked on the modem (Peter, Alan, and Neal).

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I don't mind the Microsoft delays as much as the release when it's still not "solid", that bugs me. But...that's another thread. :doh:
 
I've inserted a few easter eggs myself. For one of them, I had a beer-drinking buddy (who happened to be a superb artist working for Disney) draw caricatures of each member of the development team. We added brief humorous descriptions of each team member along with their pictures. If you knew which 2 pixel x 2 pixel spot to click on one particular graphic in the help file, the pics and text were displayed in a pop-up window. Not quite as sophisticated as a lot of them, but it was a fun little secret.
 
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