A FIELD GUIDE TO CIVILISED SOFTWARE
B00 / WORDS FOR THE OCCASION
Find the right words for the moment. Borrow a phrase, explore a pattern, or compose a complete message.
Try a broader search or clear the filters.
C00 / THE COMPOSING ROOM
Choose a situation or bring a phrase from the reference. Supply the facts, then adjust the ceremony.
D00 / THE WRITING DESK
Let the courtesy carry the voice. Let the facts carry the message.
E00 / ENTER GRACIOUSLY
Apology, interruption, regret and confession are different entrances. Choose the one that fits. Stacking them delays the useful information.
I beg your pardon, but the requested file could not be opened.
F00 / NAME THE OBSTACLE
The records office may be closed to visitors, but the reader still needs the host, port and observed error. A connection refusal alone does not establish which machine or policy rejected it.
The connection to <host>:<port> was refused. Please verify the service and network configuration.
G00 / ACCOUNT FOR THE STATE
Say what completed, what did not, and what remains unknown. "Nothing has been changed" and "rolled back" require evidence. A missing success record is not proof of failure.
The request may have completed before communication was lost. Please check its status before repeating it.
H00 / OFFER THE NEXT MOVE
Use a direct verb, a specific object and a realistic next step. Do not promise recovery, monitoring or notification unless the software provides it.
Please close the workbook and try the export once more.
I00 / THE MESSAGE GRAMMAR
These are optional parts, not seven compulsory paragraphs. A small validation issue may need one sentence. A partial deployment needs an explicit account of completed, failed and uncertain work.
J00 / FOUR REGISTERS
| Register | Voice | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Pardon me, but... | Frequent validation and routine guidance. |
| Formal | I beg your pardon, but... | Ordinary failures and permission boundaries. |
| Ceremonial | Pardon the interruption. | Deliberate attention and consequential decisions. |
| Theatrical | With considerable embarrassment, I must admit... | Rare internal defects in products that welcome comedy. |
Severity does not automatically call for comedy. Never trivialise loss, security incidents or financial uncertainty with "one small matter".
This collection retains unique wording from the visible supplied conversation. The conversation begins mid-example and explicitly omits earlier content. No unseen material has been reconstructed.
Exact repeats are combined with their source references. Related but distinct phrasings remain separate. Discouraged and misleading wording is retained as a counterexample, hidden from the default view. Contextual phrases carry usage notes. Necessary technical revisions show both edited and original wording.
Theatrical apologies remain available because they are part of the requested voice. Sweeping assurances, unsupported compliments and euphemisms for termination require context. New examples expand the draft into progress, recovery, accessibility, partial results and service limits.
Raw supplied text / Follow-up chat examples / Structured catalog / Editorial review / README