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MPW C humour

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Roy Smith

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May 26, 1993, 9:48:36 AM5/26/93
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I don't remember reading anything in the HIG that says compiler
error messages should contain anthropomorphic humour, yet I just got the
following. Cute, guys, real cute. :-)

### Error 57 a typedef name was a complete surprise to me at this point in
your program
--
Roy Smith <r...@nyu.edu>
Hippocrates Project, Department of Microbiology, Coles 202
NYU School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016
"This never happened to Bart Simpson."

Andy Peterman

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May 26, 1993, 1:33:48 PM5/26/93
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In article <1tvsfk$g...@calvin.NYU.EDU> r...@mchip00.med.nyu.edu (Roy Smith) writes:
> I don't remember reading anything in the HIG that says compiler
>error messages should contain anthropomorphic humour, yet I just got the
>following. Cute, guys, real cute. :-)
>
>### Error 57 a typedef name was a complete surprise to me at this point in
>your program

There are many other great error messages in the MPW C compiler. It's
too bad that its on the endangered species list - I'll be sad to see it
go :-(.

--
Andy Peterman
treehouse!an...@gvgpsa.gvg.tek.com
(916) 273-4569

David L. Daniel

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May 26, 1993, 3:54:02 PM5/26/93
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In article <1tvsfk$g...@calvin.NYU.EDU>, r...@mchip00.med.nyu.edu (Roy Smith)
wrote:

>
>
> I don't remember reading anything in the HIG that says compiler
> error messages should contain anthropomorphic humour, yet I just got the
> following. Cute, guys, real cute. :-)

One of my favorites from MPW is an error message that complains about
an error (I don't remember what, I think ANSI standards) and then says
"I know you don't care, I'm just trying to annoy you".

- I love it :)

-David Daniel
dan...@unx.al.alcoa.com
#######################
This random sign-off was generated by a statistician.
#######################

Steve Maller

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May 26, 1993, 8:41:13 PM5/26/93
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In article <1tvsfk$g...@calvin.NYU.EDU> Roy Smith, r...@mchip00.med.nyu.edu
writes:

> I don't remember reading anything in the HIG that says compiler
>error messages should contain anthropomorphic humour, yet I just got the
>following. Cute, guys, real cute. :-)
>
>### Error 57 a typedef name was a complete surprise to me at this point in
>your program

My personal favorite is something to the effect of:

#
### Too many errors on one line (try to make fewer).

Steve Maller
Software Mechanic
General Magic, Inc.
mal...@genmagic.com

Bruce Hoult

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May 27, 1993, 10:32:41 PM5/27/93
to
Roy Smith writes:
> I don't remember reading anything in the HIG that says compiler
> error messages should contain anthropomorphic humour, yet I just got the
> following. Cute, guys, real cute. :-)
>
> ### Error 57 a typedef name was a complete surprise to me at this point in
> your program

You can find more y looking at the "STR " resources in the compiler. Here's a
sampling of the more interesting ones...

"String literal too long (I let you have 512 characters, that's 3 more than ANSI said I should)"

"...And the lord said, 'lo, there shall only be case or default labels inside a switch statement'"

"a typedef name was a complete surprise to me at this point in your program"

"'Volatile' and 'Register' are not miscible"

"This struct already has a perfectly good definition"

"Only one parameter per register please "

"type in (cast) must be scalar; ANSI 3.3.4; page 39, lines 10-11 (I know you don't care, I'm just trying to annoy you)"

"This array has no size, and that's bad"

"Huh ?"

"can't go mucking with a 'void *'"

"we already did this function"

"The target of this goto is a label in a block that has an automatic variable with an initializer"

"This label is the target of a goto from outside of the block containing this label AND this block has an automatic variable with an initializer AND your window wasn't wide enough to read this whole error message"

"Call me paranoid but finding '/*' inside this comment makes me suspicious"

"This function has an explicit return type and deserves a return value"

"You are comparing two structures that have holes in them"

"Too many errors on one line (make fewer)"

"Symbol table full - fatal heap error; please go buy a RAM upgrade from your local Apple dealer"

"Trailing comma not permitted in enum definition. (This time I'm letting you off with a warning)"

Paul Lemieux

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May 28, 1993, 11:36:16 PM5/28/93
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on 5/26/93 , Roy Smith was heard chanting mantras to All :

RS> ### Error 57 a typedef name was a complete surprise to me at this
RS> point in your program

I've seen that too. It provided some nice comic relief to an otherwise dreary day programming.

Barry Brown

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May 30, 1993, 2:33:05 PM5/30/93
to
In <1tvsfk$g...@calvin.NYU.EDU> r...@mchip00.med.nyu.edu (Roy Smith) writes:

> I don't remember reading anything in the HIG that says compiler
>error messages should contain anthropomorphic humour, yet I just got the
>following. Cute, guys, real cute. :-)

>### Error 57 a typedef name was a complete surprise to me at this point in
>your program

There are a bunch of humorous error messages in MPW C. I used to have a
file of all of them, but I can't find it now. Rats. I think the messages
are contained in STR# resources.

--
Barry E. Brown Internet: bbr...@ucsd.edu
UCSD Academic Computing Services CIS: 76066,1741
Student Consultant AOL: BarryBrown
"See the great Centauri Republic, open 9 to 5, Earth time." -- Amb. Londo

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