---
created_at: '2016-06-02T20:38:07.000Z'
title: What If I Don't Actually Like My Users? (2008)
url: http://ozlabs.org/~rusty/index.cgi/tech/2008-04-01.html
author: JoshTriplett
points: 117
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[Source](http://ozlabs.org/~rusty/index.cgi/tech/2008-04-01.html "Permalink to Rusty's Bleeding Edge Page")

# Rusty's Bleeding Edge Page


| ----- |
| 

Free Software programmer  
[rusty@rustcorp.com.au][1]   

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# [Rusty's Bleeding Edge Page][16]

Rusty's Bleeding Edge Page

### Tue, 01 Apr 2008

### **What If I Don't Actually Like My Users?**

Here begins our descent into hell; if an interface manages to achieve negative scores on the Hard To Misuse List, your users may detect the dull red glow of malignancy rather than incompetence. 

**-1. Read the mailing list thread and you'll get it wrong.**
: 

If the first hit on Google when searching for the symptoms or how to use your interface leads to a convincing but incorrect answer, that puts your interface here. 

**-2. Read the implementation and you'll get it wrong. **
: 

This happens most often when the implementation being read is not the one you which ends up being used. Or maybe the implementation comes with test cases which all exercise the unnatural corners of the interface, which mislead instead of enlightening. 

**-3. Read the documentation and you'll get it wrong. **
: 

Here's my favorite (now fixed) example, from the glibc snprintf man page: 
    
    
    RETURN VALUE
           snprintf and vsnprintf do not write more than size bytes
           (including the trailing '
    

[1]: mailto:rusty%40rustcorp.com.au
[2]: http://ozlabs.org/~rusty/index.cgi/index.rss
[3]: http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png
[4]: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.1/au/
[5]: http://ozlabs.org/~rusty/index.cgi/IP
[6]: http://ozlabs.org/~rusty/index.cgi/tech
[7]: http://ozlabs.org/~rusty/index.cgi/self
[8]: http://ozlabs.org/~rusty/index.cgi/food
[9]: http://ozlabs.org/~rusty/index.cgi/2008
[10]: http://ozlabs.org/~rusty/index.cgi/2007
[11]: http://ozlabs.org/~rusty/index.cgi/2006
[12]: http://ozlabs.org/~rusty/index.cgi/2005
[13]: http://ozlabs.org/~rusty/index.cgi/2004
[14]: http://ozlabs.org/~rusty/index-2004.html
[15]: http://nosoftwarepatents.com/banners/90x40_3.jpg
[16]: http://ozlabs.org/~rusty/index.cgi

