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From: jcmorris@mwunix.mitre.org (Joe Morris)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: Wallpaper Question
Message-ID: <121771@linus.mitre.org>
Date: 1 Oct 90 14:18:01 GMT
References: <1990Sep29.161249.4464@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Sender: usenet@linus.mitre.org
Reply-To: jcmorris@mwunix.mitre.org (Joe Morris)
Organization: The Mitre Corporation
Lines: 23

In a recent article scott@blueeyes.kines.uiuc.edu (scott) writes:
 
>I've tried to load various .BMP files as wallpaper. Often, a dialog box
>will pop up with what has to be the most WORTHLESS error message I have ever
>seen: it says "Can't use FILENAME.BMP as a wallpaper bitmap." or words to 
>that effect. Whenever that window pops up, it makes me want to scream!!!!
>"***WHY*** can't you use FILENAME.BMP as wallpaper, you twit?" The manual is
>no help - it outlines the procedure for installing a .BMP as wallpaper, but
>doesn't tell me what to do when it doesn't work.

Ah yes...a user who actually expects an error message to be *useful*.  What
next, one who actually wants *complete documentation*?

For a trivial function, the "cannot use xxx as wallpaper" message qualifies
as one of the most unhelpful messages around.  I ran into that when I tried
the beta Win3 product, and eventually found that it appears when you try to
load a bitmap in a system with severe memory constraints...for example, 
running in real mode where the entire system has to fit into the 640K shoebox.
There's just not enough memory to support any but the smallest of bitmaps,
although the system will let you tile one bitmap to fill the wallpaper
display.

Joe Morris