> The phrase “does not work” should be reserved for when you’re taking your car to the mechanic and you don’t have a clue what’s wrong with it.
I might suggest that the phrase "does not work" is as irritating to mechanics as it is to programmers. "Don't have a clue what's wrong with it" is clearly not the case if you are taking a car to a mechanic in the first place -- you surely have _some_ idea of what's wrong with it.
Certainly applies to other professions as well. As a rule of thumb, please help others help you.
This reminds me of a programming discussion I saw a while ago where someone came up with the "carpenters don't spend so much time being picky about their hammers as we do our own tools" line. Which got a prompt reply by a carpenter saying they indeed have very personal opinions about hammers and a whole subthread on which hammers are best for which applications. Programmers think they're way too special... :)
Yeah, although it was kind of a throwaway comment/joke, I still agree that that was a poor example given the context. Most of the same techniques for clearly identifying a problem apply identically to vehicles. IE, does it not start? Are you getting a check engine light? Is it not performing the way you expect?
I might suggest that the phrase "does not work" is as irritating to mechanics as it is to programmers. "Don't have a clue what's wrong with it" is clearly not the case if you are taking a car to a mechanic in the first place -- you surely have _some_ idea of what's wrong with it.
Certainly applies to other professions as well. As a rule of thumb, please help others help you.