🚀 go-pugleaf

I've had it with demanders in the NeXT environment!

What is a demander, you ask?  It's an unfair,
unreasonable, or nonfunctional requester- usually
with one button.

I like to know when things go wrong as much as (or more than)
the next NeXTguy, but these things are terrible.  Here're
a few examples from real NeXT programs (some of which are
>NeXT< programs) and why I think they're so bad:

NeXTmail's Disk is Full message.  It doesn't go away nor do
the right thing if disk space becomes available.  If I
don't push its one button and go off and free up a few meg, it
should go away, or at least do the right thing.  Whatever
happened to the Retry button? 

Opener's error messages.  Again, if the disk fills up and
tar starts belching out messages, I should have
>another< button that will shoot tar.  Instead I have to
sit through all of them and I have to push that button over
and over again.  Where's the Stop button?

Workspace's Internal Error 10, Save changes before
logging out- OK.  OK?  OK!  the button should say Logout, not
OK!  I thought it was a warning, not a demand.  Ruined my
whole day and pushed me to posting this.  I don't think it
should have made me log out anyway.  If I hadn't pushed the
button, I could have done things, but that panel would
hang around my screen.  Where's the GOMF button?


In general, I don't like having only one button when there
should clearly be another option.  I also dislike seeing
these things when all they do is present a message and
offer no solutions or have the button mislabeled.

Am I alone in this?  Do these things drive everyone crazy? 
This is not a lousy Mac.  If the disk is full, give me a chance
to clear some space.  If you want me to log out, say so.  If I
don't have to, don't make me.

I think it's poor form to present things in this manner
unless it's an emergency.  If it >is< an emergency, the
program should try to be part of the solution.  Don't just
tell me the disk is full 1000 times- give me a way (or at
least a chance) to fix it.  


How does everyone else think?  I coined the term
"demander" to describe similar problems on "lesser"
machines (Amigas and Macs).  In some cases, these
techniques were justified (especially on old Macs), but
here on the machine for the next decade they certainly are
neither necessary nor appreciated.  

Allen B (Retry or Cancel)