Ambiguous wording in confirmation alert box
Affects | Status | Importance | Assigned to | Milestone | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
One Hundred Papercuts |
Fix Released
|
Low
|
Unassigned | ||
computer-janitor (Ubuntu) |
Fix Released
|
Undecided
|
Unassigned |
Bug Description
Binary package hint: computer-janitor
After choosing one or more of the packages Computer Janitor offers me for removal, I'm shown a confirmation alert box where it suggests that this action "may break my system, if I need them".
Users who know the packages they don't need can be assumed to be able to clean them up themselves, without having to rely on Computer Janitor's judgment. For users who don't, the sentence "This may break your system, if you need them" will only create fear and confusion: if the packages may still be needed, why did the software offer to remove them in the first place? Can its judgment of what is needed and what isn't not be relied on? And if not, how is the non-technical user supposed to know whether the action will "break her system"?
Possible replacement (I haven't yet given much thought to this; it can probably be improved):
Title: Are you sure you want to remove these packages?
Body: You are about to remove [n] software packages. Please verify that they are no longer needed on your computer. Do you want to continue?
Related branches
Changed in computer-janitor: | |
status: | New → Confirmed |
Changed in computer-janitor (Ubuntu): | |
status: | Confirmed → Triaged |
Changed in hundredpapercuts: | |
importance: | Undecided → Low |
status: | New → Confirmed |
Changed in hundredpapercuts: | |
status: | Confirmed → Triaged |
Changed in hundredpapercuts: | |
milestone: | none → round-2 |
Changed in hundredpapercuts: | |
status: | Triaged → In Progress |
Changed in hundredpapercuts: | |
status: | In Progress → Fix Committed |
Changed in hundredpapercuts: | |
status: | Fix Committed → Fix Released |
The judgement of computers cannot ever be fully relied on...
I'm not sure which wording would be better. I would like it if people who don't know what they do would not accidentally remove packages by mistake, and thus I chose a fairly severe wording.
I'll be happy to reconsider the wording for karmic. For jaunty, we're past the string freeze, so any changes to it would require a freeze exception, and I'm not currently sure it's worth it. I'm happy to be convinced otherwise by enough people telling me they really hate the current wording.