Long error message
by Volker Weber
This is the start of a very long error message. You need to press the space bar to get rid of it. Can't do it with the mouse. Find the rest here or there. Sorry, I can't capture the lower part, although I have a pretty large screen.
Pretty useless, isn't it?
Comments
Assuming that the best answer is to not need an error message at all because everything is running swimmingly, the interface to this dialogue is truly terrible. We not have a short error message and a little expandable section with a scroll pane for the detail if anyone actually wants it?
True.
It's not a Notes thing though. This dialog is from the Eclipse launcher IMHO.
And the long message is actually a dump of the parameters used to start the VM.
It shouldn't happen to often that the VM crashs.
"It shouldn't happen to often that the VM crashs."
You'd think so, wouldn't you?
Well, the JVM exploded. It is kind of a BSOD in Java terms. Maybe it's not the best policy to place your core dump in a message box.
We all know (vowe included) why the message occurs. But that’s not the point!
The point is that end-users should not see something like this, ever. Not in a client application like Lotus Notes.
Detailed stack traces and settings dumps should go in a log file for support personnel to squirrel out as required. All end-users should ever see is a basic prompt box (assuming that such a dialog would be of any use anyway).
As for VMs rarely crashing… :-D
Oh, and another thing: serendipity strikes again!
Jeff Atwood: Crash Responsibly
Its not that much of a problem that such a design flaw makes it into a product. This can happen. The tragedy is that it is a known annoyance since the first Beta, but it has not been fixed for nearly 2 years. And this isn't really a huge task for a developer.
Mariano, it's indeed "eclipse" in the menu bar. "Quit eclipse" is grayed out, possibly because it is showing this modal dialog. Most regular users would be stuck at this point.
I've been getting the same thing (surprise surprise)..
Here's a screenshot of the full error dialog: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lstoll/2415021973/
The screenshot looks like a Mac...I thought the Mac version was only in Beta?
Carry on, Ben, and elaborate your thought.
