146
votes

Presented for your enjoyment-slash-amusement.

Email received by [email protected] from Name

Jesus Christ Almighty, what a f***ing mess of a website. I'm trying to post a question. Just the one, you know, f***ing question. So I sign up for an ID and I'm sent an email that doesn't really tell me what to do apart from clicking some link to verify my email address. So far, so f***ing normal. Then I go to post a question and spend ages typing the f***ing thing in. I put in what I think is my Open ID and when I post the question it tells me to f*** off because there's no OpenID connection endpoint (is this a f***ing website or a f***ing COM interface?). Fine! I go back and type in my f***ing name and my email address. Ah! That's for signing up and my email address is already registered. I still can't f***ing post my question.

No problem. I request my account is "recovered" by typing in my email address. I get another email, asking me to click a link. I do so. I change my password. I'm f***ing logged in. It says "f***ing welcome, Name. | f***ing sign out", f***ing great. I go to post my question again. There's no f***ing connection endpoint.

I give up.

F***!

Yours sincerely,

Name

Email response to Name from [email protected]

Hi Name,

Here's your f***ing account:

https://stackoverflow.com/users/xxxxx

It's using the f***ing MyOpenID, so your login should consist of clicking the f***ing myopenid icon on the login page:

https://stackoverflow.com/users/login

I suggest trying to f***ing log in before posting next time, to prevent any issues.

I apologize for the f***ing inconvenience,

Jeff

Email response from Name

Hahaha. Thankyou. :P

26
  • 1
    ffs. fraking idiot.
    – Pure.Krome
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 2:33
  • 11
    This is fing hilarious ;) F!
    – Marcin Gil
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 2:36
  • 54
    I knew Neil would be back, but I didn't think it would be this quickly.
    – Bill the Lizard
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 2:37
  • 6
    I'm intrigued by your ideas and would like to subscribe to your magazine.
    – Nick Bedford
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 2:38
  • 3
    I was surprised by how popular meta suddenly was until I realized Jeff tweeted the link to this one :(. Of course now everyone knows they can get a dedicated meta post about themselves by e-mailing team@ with insanity
    – Michael Mrozek
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 3:20
  • 10
    Dear Mr. Atwood, Please be advised a user on meta.stackoverflow.com who goes by the name "Welbog" has hijacked your email account and is sending profanity-riddled emails to the users of your website. Sincerely, Jon f***ing B.
    – user27414
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 3:38
  • I can never log into f***ing myOpenId from Opera, but it works fine with FF.
    – Mark H
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 3:55
  • 20
    My welcome email never said 'f***cking welcome'.
    – Jeroen
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 4:17
  • Heh... sound like a sketch on "Cirque du So What"s album "Procrastinators of the Apocalypse" album ... "#6 A F***ing Room"
    – BIBD
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 5:01
  • 3
    F*** the fing fer.
    – detly
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 5:08
  • @Jeff I'll take that as a f***ing comment.
    – Andrew Grimm
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 13:58
  • 1
    We can bring back the advertising inquiries if they look more like this.
    – Jon Seigel
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 17:33
  • 4
    I suddenly feel an urge to have sex... don't know why...
    – Stefano Borini
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 17:36
  • Working in the world of technology for the past ten years, I could relate...
    – Michael Kniskern
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 18:34
  • 7
    I'm fing confused. Were all the ***s redacted, or is that how the original fing email actually f***ing looked?
    – Matt Ball
    Commented Aug 23, 2010 at 15:21

5 Answers 5

Reset to default
78
votes

To be fair, the login interface is somewhat of a f***ing tragedy.

8
  • 27
    i've never had a f***ing problem with it
    – kenwarner
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 2:43
  • 7
    @qntmfred: that's because we're f***ing geniuses. I've had to walk several people through this to get them to stop bugging me and start asking questions on SU.
    – AnonJr
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 2:53
  • 11
    I fing concur. Though I don't mind a fing complicated login on a programming website, if you can't figure it out you don't deserve to post any f***ing questions ;)
    – rustyshelf
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 3:08
  • 11
    Last I welbogging checked, you could welbogging post a welbogging question without even welbogging bothering to log in. So, it's a welbogging optional tragedy.
    – Shog9
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 3:13
  • Do you fing mind fing explaining it to me? Because I find it fing easy to f with the f***ing login interface. ;)
    – Time Traveling Bobby
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 9:05
  • 24
    The fact that you need to be semi-literate and semi-competent to register and ask questions is by no means a bad thing...
    – Dan Diplo
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 10:56
  • It would be nice if all the SE sites would just link together automatically.
    – SpecKK
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 16:16
  • @Dan Diplo: for SF and SO, I agree. And as much as I want to say the same for SU, I think the goals tend to be hindered by something like that.
    – AnonJr
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 16:32
31
votes

Good f***ing response!

But, without the swearing, I understand where he is coming from - It is easy/convenient for techy people, but there are many out there who just do not understand OpenID.

I have now referred a lot of people to the site (Super User) and I sometimes get questions about how to create an account and some people simply do not understand OpenID/SSO, and do not want to give their Google (usually) details to this site as they think you can view/steal their credentials.

...To be fair also, I knew it was safe but I was a tiny bit worried the first time I signed up a year ago and clicked on "trust this site" (or whatever the message was) as this was my first experience at using OpenID... (and at the time, these sites were not as well known!)

It takes a lot of explaining to make a few people understand.

But, I really don't know what else you can do to make it simpler for new users other than offer your own OpenID / easier to use sign up.

Also, it sounds like this guy did have some sort of genuine error, that being said, he went totally the wrong way to get it resolved!

12
  • 12
    Blame Facebook, etc. for asking for your Google credentials and then proceeding to do evil stuff with them
    – Shog9
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 3:52
  • 2
    According to the FAQ, "Super User is for computer enthusiasts and power users" - a.k.a. "techy people", as you put it. Those who do not understand OpenID or can't even figure out how to click one of the multiple-choice buttons probably shouldn't be logging into the site at all...
    – Ricket
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 3:53
  • 8
    What do you mean "easy/convenient"? I first had to find an OpenId service to install on my server, and since there wasn't anything decent that integrated with Django, I had to write the f**ing module myself*, before I could create a proper account. I don't mind, but wouldn't exactly call it convenient.
    – sth
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 4:00
  • @Shog9 Agreed! Some people will type anything, anywhere - others are careful and have a hard time trusting anysite that asks you for a username/password from another site.
    – William Hilsum
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 4:04
  • 1
    @Ricket - Enthusiasts are (thanks to Google) - "A person who is highly interested in a particular activity or subject." - Not necessarily or always knowledgeable.
    – William Hilsum
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 4:06
  • @sth - ? I stand by what I said there. It is easy/convenient to use the site if you want to. No one told you to set up or use your own service, you could of just as easily set up a Google or other account! (Well done though)
    – William Hilsum
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 4:08
  • 2
    @Will: But I wanted my own service :)
    – sth
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 4:10
  • @sth Good for you (+1 as it is sort-of cool!)- but then don't complain when you choose to go the extra mile beyond what is needed!
    – William Hilsum
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 4:13
  • @Will: Don't worry, I know that it's my own fault ;)
    – sth
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 4:20
  • @sth: Now that first comment would have made a good complaining mail :D
    – Georg Fritzsche
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 4:22
  • 1
    @sth: what? You didn't have to build the server first?
    – Shog9
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 8:29
  • 4
    Well you have to sort of agree the idea of OpenID providers is really new and for at least some of the Area51 sites may be an initial hinderance to get the masses to ask questions on the website. If you are visiting SO, SF, or SU, the bar is set high intentionally.
    – Engineer2021
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 11:22
10
votes

Well f***, everything ended better than expected.

4
votes

At the very least he got the idea that it was not an automated response!

EDIT: I wonder what his f***ing question was...

1
  • 3
    It concerned boost::bind, boost::mem_fn and boost::function, which I managed to resolve by randomly rearranging bits of code until it compiled. I will get to understanding how it works later.
    – user150134
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 23:21
3
votes

From a user interface point of view, why do we put a message such as "Welcome user, Sign out" Instead of something like "Welcome User,Start Using the Website"? I think the first message suggests to the novice users that the correct action after logging in should actually be signing out.

3
  • 6
    where the heck do we say "welcome user, sign out?" screenshot perhaps? I'm not following this.
    – Jeff Atwood
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 10:55
  • @Mohammed: It does not say that. It says "Welcome to Stack Overflow! Visit your user page to set your name and email."
    – Engineer2021
    Commented Aug 16, 2010 at 11:20
  • I think he's being generalistic. Most websites say that but not this one. Welcome, user! | Sign out
    – Joe Phillips
    Commented Aug 20, 2010 at 0:18

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