(By analogy with user-friendly and user-obsequious) User-interfaces that attempt to soothe (or, some would say, stupify) users instead of cooperating with them. Common "features" of user-unctuous systems include: icons of happy faces mellow colors melodic sound effects or even mood music help tips appearing unbidden and at unhelpful moments and a cloying tone either in system messages ("Oops! I couldn' t seem to find my old preferences file! I do think I' ll have to make a new one! Please press OK to continue!") or in labelling of system components (such as the main hard drive being labelled "Your Hard Drive" -- or, with infantile pronoun-reversal, "My Hard Drive"). (1999-06-27)
