Ubersoft.net: Technology Is Not Your Friend

The Dangers Of Interactive Help

2 July 1999 - 12:00am — Christopher Wright

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Comic Transcript

FEDS: So you are essentially an agent -- a "familiar" if you will -- who guides a user through various tasks.

BINKY: That's right, Skipper! I help make people feel more at ease.

BINKY: When people aren't familiar with the amazingly power (yet at the same time, simple and efficient) features in our software, I help them explore the exciting world of software. I'm here to help!

FEDS: And has this attempt to "help" ever caused injury or death?

BINKY: Well, gee, Skipper, I tried to tell him that vein looked like it was going to pop, but he was screaming too loud to hear me at the time...

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Endorsements

"Desperately Unfunny."
- Someone on Dean's World

"The artwork is lame and repetitive, the 'jokes' are either inside software industry jokes or thinly disguised anti-capitalist rantings."
- Someone else on Dean's World

"Are there really 80 people who find any reference to Microsoft in a web comic funny?"
- Someone on Reddit

"Why has this been running since 1996? Who actually reads it? Who is the idiot who reads it every day and posts the 'good' ones up on reddit? Doesn't he realize he is wasting his time?"
- Someone else on Reddit

"My god, my eyes are bleeding now. To think that there are comics out there which are worse than User Friendly is every way, when User Friendly was already pretty bottom-of-the-barrel in all departments!"
- Someone on Slashdot (With apologies to User Friendly, who got hit in the crossfire.)

"I'm burying this alive. Oh, look. Digg's comment window is jumping up and down in excitement. It's like it's nodding and agreeing with me. Yay."
- Someone on Digg