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Misleading error message of the day

Roy Smith roy at panix.com
Thu Dec 8 20:19:50 EST 2011 
In article <jbqui9$33c$1 at reader1.panix.com>,
 Grant Edwards <invalid at invalid.invalid> wrote:

> On 2011-12-08, Roy Smith <roy at panix.com> wrote:
> > On Thursday, December 8, 2011 10:03:38 AM UTC-5, Jean-Michel Pichavant 
> > wrote:
> >> string are iterable, considering this, the error is correct.
> >
> > Yes, I understand that the exception is correct.  I'm not saying the 
> > exception should be changed, just that we have the opportunity to produce a 
> > more useful error message.  The exception would be equally correct if it 
> > was:
> >
> > ValueError: you did something wrong
> 
> My favorite is still the old classic error from and old Unix printer
> port driver:
> 
>   "lp0 on fire"

Well, if you're going to go there, ed had (and probably still does) have 
but a single all-purpose error message: "?".

The old v6 unix chess program was somewhat more verbose.  It said, "eh?" 
(unless I'm mixing that up with something else).
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