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Comment by cubicle67 | Hacker News Reader

a line of copy I added to a client's website last night

Please do not simply rename the file extension of your file to match the formats we require. They will not open.

Apparently there are plenty of people who thing changing the file extension from .docx to .psd changes to format. Windows (and OSX too, I guess) are partially to blame here as they'll happily change the icon

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To give the complete picture though, recent Windows warn you before applying the changes to the file extension.

Although the users would still blindly click "Yes" even if the dialog asked for their firstborn child.

don't get me started...

Now here's an idea for any software developers - grab AutoIt (is it still around?) and make a quick script called "typical_user" that automatically clicks "Yes" (or similar) on any dialogs that appear. Now, run this in the background while testing the UI of your software :)

Edit: Yes, AutoIt still exists! http://www.autoitscript.com/site/autoit/

Or try http://www.sikuli.org/

For automation, it's replaced AutoIt in my toolbox - just in case I get another contract in the future like one of these.

Did you read that EULA then?

OSX warns you when you change the file extension too, though it doesn't warn that it may not work, it just says it'll open in a different application.

You say that as if your users will actually read that. I find that the ones who need the most help don't read anything you've written and expect to follow the process they have in their mind no matter what happens.

I have literally read the message on the screen to someone to solve their problem.

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