# Existential Dialog Box

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existential-dialog-box/333483>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [December 1, 2005, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existential-dialog-box/333483 "2005-12-01T00:44:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bag_of_mostly_water/32/1029_2.png) [@Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bag_of_Mostly_Water)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existential-dialog-box/333483/1 "2005-12-01T00:44:15Z")

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I just received the most existential and disturbing dialog box on my computer. I was quitting Microsoft Word 2004 for Macintosh OS X. A dialog box with the message “Would you like to replace the existing normal?” appeared. The options were “Save”, “Cancel”, and “Don’t Save”.

Needless to say, I do not have the courage to replace the existing normal. As bad as the existing normal is, I believe that any new normal I could create would probably be worse. So, I pushed the cancel button. Unfortunately, this just brought the dialog box up again. (It seems I’m not allowed to cancel replacing the existing normal. An analysis of this is left to the reader.)

Don’t save seemed to be the next safest option. This is what I pushed and the existing normal is safe for now.

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**Author:** ![wheelie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b4bc9f/32.png) [@wheelie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheelie)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existential-dialog-box/333483/2 "2005-12-01T01:27:32Z")

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[Ren Höek]Don’t click on save you fool! It’s the History Eraser Button![/RH]

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**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existential-dialog-box/333483/3 "2005-12-01T04:18:13Z")

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> [@Ex\_Chemist](#):
>
> “Would you like to replace the existing normal?” appeared. The options were “Save”, “Cancel”, and “Don’t Save”.

Heh. Makes ya think, don’t it?

But since you didn’t save, is the existing normal _now_ the same as it was _then,_ or is it merely more or less commonly averagelike?

_And how do you know?_

I mean, all chickens have purple lips, live in my closet, and sing “My Way,”, don’t they?

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**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existential-dialog-box/333483/4 "2005-12-01T04:47:46Z")

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```auto

There have been changes made to your immortal soul.

+------------+ +------------+ +------------+
| Save | | Cancel | | Don't Save |
+------------+ +------------+ +------------+

```

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**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existential-dialog-box/333483/5 "2005-12-01T06:34:25Z")

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At least you didn’t get the one that says: “do you wish to change the reality substitution settings?” And the possible responses of: “Save with change”, “Save without change” and “Deposit sensory perseptions”. If you do get that one, don’t _ever_ chose “Deposit sensory perseptions”. Man, that was one wierd microlife.