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Joel on Software

“By installing Java, you will be able to experience the power of Java”

by Joel Spolsky
Monday, January 12, 2009

Just because there’s room on the dialog box, doesn’t mean you have to put something there. The Java installer starts off with a dialog box that manages to repeat the word Java six times without really telling you what it is, just that it’s “everywhere.”

People don’t like to read. If you can’t think of anything to say, maybe you should just shut up. This whole damn dialog could read

Java Loves You—Please Wait

without any loss in functionality.


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About the author.

I’m Joel Spolsky, founder of Fog Creek Software, a New York company that proves that you can treat programmers well and still be highly profitable. Programmers get private offices, free lunch, and work 40 hours a week. Customers only pay for software if they’re delighted. We make FogBugz, an enlightened project management system designed to help great teams develop brilliant software, and Fog Creek Copilot, which makes remote desktop access easy.

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