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[Gnu-arch-users] Re: Newbie confusion "illegal revision name"
From: |
Andrew Wilcox |
Subject: |
[Gnu-arch-users] Re: Newbie confusion "illegal revision name" |
Date: |
Thu, 28 Oct 2004 12:48:27 -0400 |
Aaron Bentley wrote:
> I don't understand why you prefer an error message to having it just
> work. "tla changes patch-3" is a much more convenient way of expressing
> the command, and its intent is quite clear.
Your suggestion that tla be enhanced to do what I wanted was so
obviously wonderful that I neglected to say anything. My apologies.
Yes, to implement "tla changes patch-3" is a wonderful idea.
Zenaan Harkness wrote:
> he's implying (AIUI) "short of having a solution/patch available
> now, the error message would be better changed"
Yes.
Yet I don't think it is either/or.
Even if Aaron's wonderful suggestion is implemented, I will still be
able to enter a invalid revision name. If the error message were
changed to something that I would have understood, that would be a
significant improvement to my new user experience.
As a new user, I read the tutorial, look at the on-line help, read the
wiki, and then try some things. As I try things, I will get error
messages, and whether I understand them makes an important difference
to how quickly I can climb the learning curve.
Aaron Bentley suggested:
> The corrected version would be "not a valid revision name", which
> isn't very different from "illegal revision name".
Sometimes small differences can make a big difference in the user
experience.
I judge that if -- in that moment of being a new user, knowing what I
knew then -- tla had printed "not a valid revision name", there is a
50% chance that I would have understood what was wrong and avoided an
hour of fustration.
Thank you,
Andrew Wilcox