6 ms·

It does not do that, I just double checked, even when the focus is on the "Send" button a dialog box pops with "Send (Ctrl-Enter)" and no sending happens. Maybe

by capo 13y ago

It does not do that, I just double checked, even when the focus is on the "Send" button a dialog box pops with "Send (Ctrl-Enter)" and no sending happens. Maybe what you encountered was the work of a browser extension or a labs feature left enabled, or most likely you just tapped return at the wrong moment.

ColinWright 13y ago
It may not have done it for you, but it did it for me, and others in this thread have confirmed that it did it for them. For reference, I don't have any browser extensions installed, and I haven't used any labs features, so neither of those suggestions is correct either. And forgive me for being blunt, but your reply seems to be similar to what happens when a problem is reported to some "support" services where they say "Works for me!" The clear underlying text is "So you're an idiot, and don't matter." So thank you for your suggestions, but they're wrong. And it did do it for me, and I double-checked.
- edwinjm 13y ago
  You are blamed just like you blame the interface designers. Don't be mad. Fact is, most reported problems, in the end, are caused by the user him/herself, so his response is not that bad.
- capo 13y ago
  I was honestly just trying to help. I tested the only way I know how, via my own Gmail account.
  - ColinWright 13y ago
    I accept that you were only trying to help - thank you for that. Please accept my response as feedback, and I hope you find it - after this subsequent expansion - helpful in some way. My response could be thought of as a data point, that what you intended to say is not how the message was received. You may have intended to say: "Hmm, it worked for me, I wonder what's different about your setup." What I heard was: "You're wrong, it doesn't do that, I've tested it, so you're obviously doing something stupid."
- bradleyland 13y ago
  I think maybe you should take a step back and realize that the way you communicated your message initially isn't consistent with the defense you're making here. You didn't state your original issue as a bug, you called Google out as if this were some kind of feature: "People, when you design an interface, don't put invisible, undiscoverable, irrecoverable actions in it." This would only be a feature if it happened for everyone, and now you're using curt language with someone who is trying to help. Troubleshooting is hard, and the communications involved are often polarizing. End users commonly feel defensive, and troubleshooters often fail to couch their language diplomatically. The matter of reproducibility is the basic litmus test by which programmers classify issues as bugs versus environment issues. Bugs are problems in the software, and environment issues are problems in the user's specific configuration. Often times an issue is a combination of both. The willingness to engage in troubleshooting environment issues varies by developer, but if you're interested in receiving help, it's worth acknowledging that your problem falls somewhere on this continuum, which means you always bear some responsibility in remaining objective during the troubleshooting process. You seem convinced that this is some type of feature issue, rather than remaining open to other possibilities. I think I might have an idea about what's happening in your case, but I'm reluctant to even posit the idea, because I fear you'll lash out as me as well.
  - ColinWright 13y ago
    I acknowledge that I was curt. I do, however, believe that I'm being consistent. It's news to me that it's perceived as not, so I'll take another look at it. Thank you. And I didn't call it as a bug because it happened to me twice, it has happened to me on other platforms, and I assumed that a Google Mail interface would behave the way Google intended. I acknowledge that testing and debugging is hard, but I guess by default I had assumed Google would get it right. Your assertion is that they haven't got it right, and that this is a bug. Noted. For reference, I work on software used in safety-critical situations, and so I know a little about getting user interfaces consistent, repeatable, and tested. I have the advantage that our system can control the hardware and environment, but I am aware of many of the issues. I'm just annoyed that hitting "TAB" caused me to send an incomplete message to an important customer, making me look stupid. I guess I'll have to treat Google's interfaces with the same paranoia as I use professionally when I write software. That's disappointing, but I guess unavoidable given their constraints. And I'm sorry I've made you feel that you can't propose a suggestion as to what might have happened. That's really, really not intentional. But when I'm already having a bad morning, having someone say "No, that doesn't happen" when it clearly did is not a sure fire way of improving it. So put it all down to the problems of writing software for uncontrollable environments causing different and sometimes undesirable behavior, coupled with the inability to read people accurately in a forum type of context, coupled in turn with a certain amount of stress over the whole thing. And I apologize unreservedly for offence caused, and thank you for your comment. Added in edit: I've upvoted you - I genuinely appreciate your comment.

by capo 13y ago

ColinWright 13y ago

It may not have done it for you, but it did it for me, and others in this thread have confirmed that it did it for them. For reference, I don't have any browser extensions installed, and I haven't used any labs features, so neither of those suggestions is correct either. And forgive me for being blunt, but your reply seems to be similar to what happens when a problem is reported to some "support" services where they say "Works for me!" The clear underlying text is "So you're an idiot, and don't matter." So thank you for your suggestions, but they're wrong. And it did do it for me, and I double-checked.

edwinjm 13y ago
You are blamed just like you blame the interface designers. Don't be mad. Fact is, most reported problems, in the end, are caused by the user him/herself, so his response is not that bad.
capo 13y ago
I was honestly just trying to help. I tested the only way I know how, via my own Gmail account.
- ColinWright 13y ago
  I accept that you were only trying to help - thank you for that. Please accept my response as feedback, and I hope you find it - after this subsequent expansion - helpful in some way. My response could be thought of as a data point, that what you intended to say is not how the message was received. You may have intended to say: "Hmm, it worked for me, I wonder what's different about your setup." What I heard was: "You're wrong, it doesn't do that, I've tested it, so you're obviously doing something stupid."
bradleyland 13y ago
I think maybe you should take a step back and realize that the way you communicated your message initially isn't consistent with the defense you're making here. You didn't state your original issue as a bug, you called Google out as if this were some kind of feature: "People, when you design an interface, don't put invisible, undiscoverable, irrecoverable actions in it." This would only be a feature if it happened for everyone, and now you're using curt language with someone who is trying to help. Troubleshooting is hard, and the communications involved are often polarizing. End users commonly feel defensive, and troubleshooters often fail to couch their language diplomatically. The matter of reproducibility is the basic litmus test by which programmers classify issues as bugs versus environment issues. Bugs are problems in the software, and environment issues are problems in the user's specific configuration. Often times an issue is a combination of both. The willingness to engage in troubleshooting environment issues varies by developer, but if you're interested in receiving help, it's worth acknowledging that your problem falls somewhere on this continuum, which means you always bear some responsibility in remaining objective during the troubleshooting process. You seem convinced that this is some type of feature issue, rather than remaining open to other possibilities. I think I might have an idea about what's happening in your case, but I'm reluctant to even posit the idea, because I fear you'll lash out as me as well.
- ColinWright 13y ago
  I acknowledge that I was curt. I do, however, believe that I'm being consistent. It's news to me that it's perceived as not, so I'll take another look at it. Thank you. And I didn't call it as a bug because it happened to me twice, it has happened to me on other platforms, and I assumed that a Google Mail interface would behave the way Google intended. I acknowledge that testing and debugging is hard, but I guess by default I had assumed Google would get it right. Your assertion is that they haven't got it right, and that this is a bug. Noted. For reference, I work on software used in safety-critical situations, and so I know a little about getting user interfaces consistent, repeatable, and tested. I have the advantage that our system can control the hardware and environment, but I am aware of many of the issues. I'm just annoyed that hitting "TAB" caused me to send an incomplete message to an important customer, making me look stupid. I guess I'll have to treat Google's interfaces with the same paranoia as I use professionally when I write software. That's disappointing, but I guess unavoidable given their constraints. And I'm sorry I've made you feel that you can't propose a suggestion as to what might have happened. That's really, really not intentional. But when I'm already having a bad morning, having someone say "No, that doesn't happen" when it clearly did is not a sure fire way of improving it. So put it all down to the problems of writing software for uncontrollable environments causing different and sometimes undesirable behavior, coupled with the inability to read people accurately in a forum type of context, coupled in turn with a certain amount of stress over the whole thing. And I apologize unreservedly for offence caused, and thank you for your comment. Added in edit: I've upvoted you - I genuinely appreciate your comment.