AutoInsult FAQ

This section answers frequently asked questions (FAQs). Some of these questions are real ones that people have actually asked me, others are ones that I think may be asked.

Please be sure to also read the AutoInsult documentation (available after installation) for usage information.

    What on earth would I use it for?

    I ran it and was deeply insulted by it all.

    I wasn't insulted on the whole, but I think some of the words should be removed.

    I wasn't the least bit insulted. In fact, I thought it was all a bit tame

    Why don't you add this style....... ?

    I want to add my own words! How can I do it?

    I'm getting an error that says that I have an obsolete / incompatible / corrupted data file

    Don't you ever use a spell checker? You don't know how to spell in your documentation and message boxes!

    Hey, a lot of the spellings are wrong / I don't understand some of the phrases or words you use.

    What happened to all the combo boxes / drop lists for the words you had in v2.01?

    I paid good money to be a Registered User when AutoInsult was shareware. Now you've made it freeware, can I have my money back?

    Can you write a version that I can use it in my own programs / on my web site?

    Will you be releasing a Mac, Linux, iOS, or Android version?

    When its says you can "copy the insults to the clipboard to use later", what / where is this clipboard?

    Why don't you have a fancy install program called setup.exe or something?

    What language is AutoInsult written in?

    I want more information about AutoInsult / you haven't answered my question. What do I do now?

What on earth would I use it for?

If you can't think of a reason, then this program is probably not for you. It's just a bit of fun.

I ran it and was deeply insulted by it all.

Well, it is a program that generates insults, after all. Seriously, if this genuinely offends you, then I'm terribly sorry. Please accept my apologies, uninstall and delete the program, and forget that it ever happened. (Some people reckon I should just say "get a sense of humour" here, but everyone has a different sense of humour, and some people really don't find it funny. Ah well)

I wasn't insulted on the whole, but I think some of the words should be removed.

As I said, people's sense of humour, and what they consider acceptable and unacceptable vary enormously. Its an age-old problem of censorship - just where do you draw the line? I hope I have drawn the line at downright offensiveness, but some people are almost certain to disagree. If you find that AutoInsult generates something you find unpleasant, then just use the "Generate" button to generate another. Chances are it'll be something you find acceptable. If not, the follow the advice for the previous question and uninstall it.

I wasn't the least bit insulted. In fact, I thought it was all a bit tame

As I've pointed out in the previous few answers, everyone's sense of humour is different. In order to keep the appeal of AutoInsult as wide as possible I have drawn a fairly conservative line on the level of offensiveness. This was one of the things that the review by Ziff-Davies (the people who Publish PC Magazine) praised AutoInsult on when they reviewed one of the first versions.

Why don't you add this style....... ?

I'm open to suggestions for new insult styles, but I'll require hard examples, preferably lots. The style must also follow a set formula. At the moment the formula is to pick one word from each of a number of columns in order to generate a new sentence and apply it to a rule. For instance, the modern style's rule is "You <column1> <column2> <column3> <column4>", and it has 4 columns (or fields).
When the AutoInsult Editor is available you will be able to generate your own add-on data files. In the meantime if you send me a data file in text format I will consider incorporating it. There must be at least 5,000,000 combinations though. You can calculate the number of combinations by multiplying the number of values in each column. That's not as hard to attain as you think - 4 columns of 50 words / phrases gives 6,250,000 combinations!
If I incorporate your suggestion into AutoInsult then you'll get credit for it.

Please note that an email that just says "Can you add the blurgle-wugle style please?" isn't going to help me much - I'll need some examples.

I want to add my own words! How can I do it?

When the AutoInsult Editor is available (whenever that is) you will be able to generate your own add-on data files. In the meantime, you can't.

I'm getting an error that says that I have an obsolete / incompatible / corrupted data file

This error occurs when AutoInsult cannot successfully read a data file. As the error suggests, it is not in the correct format. It may have been corrupted or be from a previous version (which had a different file format). Try uninstalling AutoInsult and re-installing.

Don't you ever use a spell checker? You don't know how to spell in your documentation and message boxes!

It all depends on which dialect you use. If you speak the Queen's English, then you'll find I've made very few spelling errors. If you speak something else like American English, then you'll find some of the spellings are not as you'd expect.

Hey, a lot of the spellings are wrong / I don't understand some of the phrases or words you use.

Check you are using the correct dictionary. AutoInsult ships with both English and American English versions. However, the American English version is just the English one that has been spell-checked with the spellchecker language setting set to "English (US)".
As for words and phrases, I'm British, so its inevitable that colloquial words and phrases may creep in that are not in use throughout the English-speaking world. I can't really do a whole lot about this.

From v3.5 onwards you can select a word or phrase and right-click on it to look it up with an on-line dictionary.

What happened to all the combo boxes / drop lists for the words you had in v2.01?

The came back in v3.5! You must be using an older version.

I paid good money to be a Registered User when AutoInsult was shareware. Now you've made it freeware, can I have my money back?

Sorry, but I can't offer a refund. Please know that your registration was appreciated though.

Can you write a version that I can use it in my own programs / on my web site?

I have no plans to offer this. However there is an on-line version of AutoInsult called WebInsult that you can link to from your website if you wish. Please do not pass it off as your own work though and make sure it is clearly credited.

Will you be releasing a Mac, Linux, iOS, or Android version?

It's a possibility. I'm looking into rewriting AutoInsult in C# which means it will be able to make use of both .NET and mono; the latter will allow it to run under Linux.
As for iOS and Android, it's a possibility but not high on my priority list since you can just browse to WebInsult from either device.

When its says you can "copy the insults to the clipboard to use later", what / where is this clipboard?

I was surprised to be asked this question, but maybe its just a case of knowing what the clipboard is, but not knowing that it is called the clipboard.
In almost any Windows application, you can select some text and select 'cut' or 'copy' (usually from the Edit menu) and the text will be stored in the Windows Clipboard. When you choose 'paste' in an application (like your Word Processor or an email) then the stored text is copied in at the point where your cursor is. AutoInsult replaces whatever is in the clipboard with your insults, so you can choose 'paste' (keyboard shortcut Ctrl+V) in your application and have your insults pasted in.

Why don't you have a fancy install program called setup.exe or something?

All versions since v3.3 do! You must be using a REALLY old version. Congratulations. Maybe put it in a museum and download the latest version.

What language is AutoInsult written in?

Microsoft Visual C++ and the MFC (Microsoft Foundation Classes), although my long term goal is to rewrite AutoInsult in C#

I want more information about AutoInsult / you haven't answered my question. What do I do now?

Send me an email via the "contact me" page and I will do my best to answer your query.