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Avoid please in error messages #8141

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nkolev92 opened this issue May 16, 2019 · 2 comments
Open

Avoid please in error messages #8141

nkolev92 opened this issue May 16, 2019 · 2 comments
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Area:ErrorHandling warnings and errors/log messages & related error codes. Priority:2 Issues for the current backlog. Type:Bug
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@nkolev92
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nkolev92 commented May 16, 2019

Motivation from: https://github.com/dotnet/cli/issues/11336

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/debug/error-message-guidelines

Avoid the word "please". It can be interpreted to mean that a required action is optional.

We have ~139 please mentions in our resx files (about ~80 are not in the comment field).
All of these need reviewed and potentially fixed.

Examples

https://github.com/NuGet/NuGet.Client/blob/dev/src/NuGet.Core/NuGet.Commands/Strings.resx#L393
https://github.com/NuGet/NuGet.Client/blob/dev/src/NuGet.Core/NuGet.Commands/Strings.resx#L435
https://github.com/NuGet/NuGet.Client/blob/dev/src/NuGet.Core/NuGet.Commands/Strings.resx#L606

@nkolev92 nkolev92 added Type:Bug Area:ErrorHandling warnings and errors/log messages & related error codes. Triage:NeedsTriageDiscussion labels May 16, 2019
@rrelyea rrelyea changed the title Avoid please in error messages Please, avoid please in error messages May 17, 2019
@StingyJack
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StingyJack commented May 21, 2019

EDIT: TL;DR - Please should be avoided because its not necessary in the context of reporting an error or providing the user with a set of options to choose from. A program is not a person (yet, see "corporations"), and does not have to display any humanizing features like politeness (or verbal abuse). "Please" has nothing to do with "optional", so that style guide is picking the wrong reason for excluding the word.

Kindness and/or courtesy is not a bug. The premise is.

Most uses of the word "please" do not communicate something being entirely optional, there is always a consequence. Usually "please" is followed with a direct or implied command. (EDIT: and implied or explicit consequence)

Please put your tray tables up and your seats in an upright position.

...or the flight will not land on time, and you will probably go to jail.

You always have a choice, even with a command given to you by the TSA agent pointing the taser at you.

There are times when options have less consequence.

Please prioritize this work after all other bugs have been fixed and feature gaps in package ref have been closed properly.

... Or else?

"Or else" in this example has been shown to have negligible - but existing - consequence.

@nkolev92 nkolev92 changed the title Please, avoid please in error messages Avoid please in error messages Jun 14, 2019
@Rick-Anderson
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Per the Microsoft style guide:
Avoid please except in situations where the customer is asked to do something inconvenient or the application or site is to blame for the situation.

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Area:ErrorHandling warnings and errors/log messages & related error codes. Priority:2 Issues for the current backlog. Type:Bug
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