404 or 500 error page

[baggyeyes]

Title:
404 or 500 error page

Area:
Text and /or image representing <user name="pauamma">'s suggested message

Summary:
<a href="http://dw-news.dreamwidth.org/13432.html?thread=1467512#cmt1467512">As seen in the News entry</a> for 11/02/2009.

Description:
I want either a TV set graphic with this illustrated, or just a well-worded version:

<a href="http://dw-news.dreamwidth.org/13432.html?thread=1467512#cmt1467512">all-news channel: "In other news, a satellite picture of the forest fires in $location showed the words: We know DW is down, we're working on it."</a>

Poll #1634 404 or 500 error page

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 32

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
4 (12.5%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
2 (6.2%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
17 (53.1%)

(I have no opinion)
9 (28.1%)

(Other: please comment)
0 (0.0%)

Comments

[ratcreature]

I dislike error and status pages that try to be clever, e.g. I've always found LJ's wire-chewing goats and armed monkey pointless. (Also depending on whether the number is still visible or not they obscure the meaning. E.g. when you get plain error messages in a language you don't speak or don't speak well, something like google translations will usually make sense of it for you to get the gist of what's going on even if there is no error number. If there is some weird text that tries to be clever, you may be totally lost, because the automatic translation gets something about eating goats, or fires rather than server errors.)

[cesy]

I like the fancy 404 pages, but I see your point, so I'd suggest that a clearer message is also included below the joke on each page.

[yvi]

Yes, same here. I like plan 403/404/500 errors because it tells me exactly what I need to know in less than two seconds.

[dingsi]

I dislike error and status pages that try to be clever

+1. Especially as some jokes just aren't particularly funny. All I need to know is that a page couldn't be found/loaded/whatever, and why.

[ratcreature]

Yeah, they fall flat more often than not. Like this forest fire thing does nothing for me. Also in particular joking about natural disasters can have really bad timing. I mean, you don't want a forest fire joke your error page when some wildfire just killed people, which is not such a rare occurence.

[sorchasilver]

+1. Cutesy "clever" error messages are just irritating.

[dingsi]

Yes, that's exactly what I've been thinking. And even without the potentially offensive ones, I can only remember one customized Error page that I found genuinely funny.* So I tend to say, don't bother, just give me the info.

* For the record, that page had the server apologizing profoundly and at length for not being able to find the page, but I don't remember any specifics.

[baggyeyes]

well...ok then. :)

[pauamma]

Hmm, there should be a clearer message on both error pages (404 and 500). Maybe it needs to be moved or highlighted better?

[triadruid]

I like the idea of something clever in the 404, so long as it also includes the plain message. Forest fires, though, not a good idea...