Type in an invalid web address and you can expect to see something like this

"HTTP 404 - File not found",

returned by many web servers, how rude. On The Green Man you don't get such an impolite message. (Click here if you want to see)

Naturally The Green Man is correct. There is a rising tide of dissatisfaction with rude and accusatory error messages. This is the finding of Jeng-Yi Tzeng at the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. His research showed that the vast majority of users found using a computer more pleasurable when error messages were apologetic rather than implying that user had made a mistake.

Eric Horvitz, manager of Microsoft's Adaptive Systems and Interaction Group agrees

As computers have got more powerful, people have come to expect them to behave more like collaborators and less like tools or appliances

And he should know, working for Microsoft he will be no stranger to error messages.

Jonathan Klein believes it should be taken one step further, with the software providing the facility to vent your frustration at the failure. Hey! The Green Man provides that too, there is an "Email me about the problem" link on the 404 page. Such good design, if only The Green Man could work out how to make large chunks of money out of it.

Read more here.