In a world of terabytes of storage, gigabytes or RAM, and megabits/second of throughput, why do so many OSes and programs insist on obscure error code numbers?
Ken Thompson [the inventor of Unix] has an automobile which he helped design. Unlike most automobiles, it has neither speedometer, nor gas gauge, nor any of the other numerous idiot lights which plague the modern driver. Rather, if the driver makes a mistake, a giant “?” lights up in the center of the dashboard. “The experienced driver,” says Thompson, “will usually know what’s wrong.”
—Anonymous