View source for User Friendly

{{short description|Webcomic by J. D. Frazer}}
{{about |the webcomic titled ''User Friendly''|the term used generically|Usability|other uses|User Friendly (disambiguation)}}
{{Too many sections|date=April 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2012}}
{{Infobox Webcomic
| title = User Friendly 
| image = [[File:Userfriendly.20030128.gif|500px|"Press any key"]]
<!-- FAIR USE of Userfriendly.20030128.gif: see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Userfriendly.20030128.gif for rationale -->
| caption = [https://web.archive.org/web/20220225102235/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20030128 An example of a ''User Friendly'' comic strip]
| author = J. D. Frazer, {{a.k.a.}} "Illiad"
| url = {{URL|http://www.userfriendly.org/}}
| status = Completed
| began = {{Start date|1997|11|17}}<ref group="#">{{Citation | last = Frazer | first = JD ‘Illiad’ | author-link = J. D. Frazer | url = http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19971117 | title = UserFriendly | contribution = Cartoon with Strip Comments | date = 1997-11-17 | access-date = September 15, 2005 | archive-date = July 7, 2012 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120707194500/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19971117 | url-status = dead }}.</ref>
| ended = {{End date|2010|11|21}}
| genre = [[Technology]] and [[geek]] humor
| ratings =}}
'''''User Friendly''''' was a [[webcomic]] written by J. D. Frazer, also known by his pen name '''Illiad'''. Starting in 1997, the strip was one of the earliest webcomics to make its creator a living. The comic is set in a fictional [[internet service provider]] and draws humor from dealing with clueless users and geeky subjects. The comic ran seven days a week until 2009, when updates became sporadic, and since 2010 it had been in re-runs only. The webcomic was shut down in late February 2022, after an announcement from Frazer.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-02-26 |title=UserFriendly Strip Comments |url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/read.cgi?id=20220224&tid=4056273 |access-date=2022-03-01 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226013838/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/read.cgi?id=20220224&tid=4056273 |archive-date=26 February 2022 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Premise ==
''User Friendly'' is set inside a fictional ISP, Columbia Internet.<ref name=":2" /> According to reviewer Eric Burns, the strip is set in a world where "[u]sers were dumbasses who asked about cupholders that slid out of their computers, marketing executives were perverse and stupid and deserved humiliation, bosses were clueless and often naively cruel, and [[information technology|I.T.]] workers were somewhat shortsighted and misguided, but the last bastion of human reason... Every time we see Greg working, it's to deal with yet another annoying, self-important clueless user who hasn't gotten his brain around the digital world".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Burns|first=Eric|date=May 2008|title=Eric: State of the (Web)Cartoonist: J.D. "Illiad" Frazer|url=http://www.websnark.com/archives/2008/05/state_of_the_we_14.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080601021223/http://www.websnark.com/archives/2008/05/state_of_the_we_14.html|archive-date=2008-06-01|access-date=2020-11-16|website=Websnark}}</ref> Although mostly gag-a-day, the comic often had ongoing running arcs and occasionally continuing character through-lines.

=== Cast ===
{{In-universe|subject=comics|category=comics|date=October 2009}}
{{Primary sources section|find=User Friendly|find2=web comic characters|date=March 2016}}
{{Excessive list|section|date=November 2020}}

==== A.J. Garrett ====
A.J., Illiad's alter ego,<ref name="ufver1.0">{{cite book|last=Frazer|first=J. D.|title=User Friendly v1.0|date=March 2002|publisher=Plan Nine Publishing|isbn=1-929462-39-5|page=67|author-link=J. D. Frazer}}</ref> represents "the creative guy" in the strip, maintaining and designing websites. As a [[web design]]er, he's uncomfortably crammed in that tiny crevice between the techies and the marketing people. This means he's not disliked by anyone, but they all look at him funny from time to time. A.J. is shy and sensitive, loves most computer games and nifty art, and has a big-brother relationship with the Dust Puppy. A.J. is terrified of [[Grue (monster)|grues]] and attempts to avoid them.<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=UserFriendly|date=2002-10-17|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20021017|contribution=Strip Comments|author-link=J. D. Frazer|access-date=February 1, 2005|archive-date=December 10, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041210031149/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20021017|url-status=dead}}.</ref> He was released from the company on two separate occasions but returned shortly thereafter.

In the strip as of September 16, 2005, he and Miranda (another character) are dating. They also have previously dated, but split up over a misunderstanding.

==== The Chief ====
The Chief is Columbia Internet's CEO. He is the leader of the techies and salespeople.

Illiad based the character on a former boss, saying, "The Chief is based on my business mentor. He was the vice president that I reported to back in the day. The Chief, like my mentor, is tall (!) and thin and sports a bushy ring around a bald crown, plus a very thick moustache." The Chief bears a superficial resemblance to the [[Pointy-Haired Boss]] of ''[[Dilbert]]'' fame. However, Illiad says that The Chief was not inspired by the ''Dilbert'' character.<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=UserFriendly|date=2006-07-18|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/read.cgi?id=20060718&tid=2135612|contribution=Strip Comments|author-link=J. D. Frazer}}{{Dead link|date=June 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.</ref>  His personality is very different from the PHB, as well: he manages in the laissez-faire style, as opposed to the Marketing-based, micro-managing stance of the PHB.  He has encouraged the office to standardise on [[Linux]] (much to Stef's chagrin).<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=1998-10-08|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19981008|type=cartoon|author-link=J. D. Frazer}}{{Dead link|date=June 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.</ref>

==== Dust Puppy ====
Born in a [[Server (computing)|server]] from a combination of [[dust]], [[Lint (material)|lint]], and [[Quantum mechanics|quantum]] events, the Dust Puppy looks similar to a ball of dust and lint, with eyes, feet and an occasional big toothy smile.  He was briefly absent from the strip after accidentally being blown with compressed air while sleeping inside a dusty server.

Although the Dust Puppy is very innocent and unworldly, he plays a superb game of [[Quake (video game)|Quake]]. He also created an artificial intelligence named [[#Erwin|Erwin]], with whom he has been known to do occasional song performances (or [[filk]]s).

Dust Puppy is liked by most of the other characters, with the exceptions of Stef and the Dust Puppy's evil nemesis, the Crud Puppy.

First appearance December 3, 1997.<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=1997-12-03|type=cartoon|contribution=Dust Puppy's first appearance|contribution-url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19971203|author-link=J. D. Frazer|access-date=February 13, 2012|archive-date=January 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101213339/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19971203|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== Crud Puppy ====
Crud Puppy (Lord Ignatius Crud)<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=Sep 15, 2005|contribution=Nag strip|contribution-url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20050915|author-link=J. D. Frazer|access-date=June 18, 2007|archive-date=August 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810062551/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20050915|url-status=dead}}.</ref> is the [[evil twin]], born from the crud in Stef's keyboard; he is the nemesis of the Dust Puppy and sometimes takes the role of "bad guy" in the series. Examples include being the attorney/legal advisor of both Microsoft and then AOL or controlling a "Thing" suit in the Antarctic. He is most often seen in later strips in an Armani suit, usually sitting at the local bar with Cthulhu. The Crud Puppy first appeared in the strip on February 24, 1998.<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=1998-04-05|type=cartoon|contribution=Anatomy of a Crud Puppy|contribution-url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19980405|author-link=J. D. Frazer|access-date=April 11, 2006|archive-date=August 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810022456/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19980405|url-status=dead}}.</ref>

==== Erwin ====
Erwin first appeared in the January 25, 1998 strip. Erwin is a highly advanced [[Artificial intelligence|Artificial Intelligence (AI)]] created overnight during experimentation in artificial intelligence by the [[#Dust Puppy|Dust Puppy]], who was feeling kind of bored. Erwin is written in [[COBOL]]<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=2000-10-18|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20001018|type=cartoon|author-link=J. D. Frazer|access-date=August 20, 2011|archive-date=September 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926215504/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20001018|url-status=dead}}.</ref> because Dust Puppy "lost a bet".<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=2000-10-19|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20001019|type=cartoon|author-link=J. D. Frazer|access-date=August 29, 2011|archive-date=November 27, 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021127023057/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20001019|url-status=dead}}.</ref> Erwin passes the [[Turing test]] with flying colours, and has a dry sense of humour. He is an expert on any subject that is covered on the [[World Wide Web]], such as [[Elvis sightings]] and [[Extraterrestrial life|alien]] [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracies]]. Erwin is rather self-centered, and he is fond of mischievous pranks.

Originally, Erwin occupied the classic "[[Computer display|monitor]] and [[Computer keyboard|keyboard]]" type computer with an [[X86 architecture|x86]] [[computer architecture]], but was later given such residences as an [[iMac]], a [[Palm, Inc.|Palm]] III, a [[Coleco Adam]] on [[Mir]], a [[Furby]], a [[Nuclear weapons delivery|nuclear weapon]] guidance system, an [[SGI O2]], a [[Hewlett-Packard]] [[Calculator]] (with [[reverse Polish notation]], which meant that Erwin talked like [[Yoda]] for weeks afterward), a [[Lego Mindstorms]] construction, a [[Tamagotchi]], a [[Segway HT|Segway]], an [[IBM PC 5150]], a [[BattleMechs|''Timber Wolf''-class BattleMech]],<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=2001-10-04|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20010804|type=cartoon|author-link=J. D. Frazer|access-date=May 15, 2010|archive-date=August 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810065054/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20010804|url-status=dead}}.</ref> and an Internet-equipped toilet (with Dust Puppy being the [[toilet brush]]), as a punishment for insulting [[Hastur]].

==== Greg Flemming ====
Greg is in charge of Technical Support in the strip. In other words, he's the guy that customers whine to when something goes wrong, which drives him nuts. He blows off steam by playing visceral games and doing bad things to the salespeople. He's not a bad sort, but his grip on his sanity hovers somewhere between weak and non-existent, and he once worked for [[Microsoft]] [http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19980306&mode=classic Quality Assurance] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130113123444/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19980306&mode=classic |date=January 13, 2013 }}.

==== Mike Floyd ====
Mike is the System Administrator of the strip and is responsible for the smooth running of the network at the office. He's bright but prone to fits of anxiety. His worst nightmare is being locked in a room with a sweaty Windows 95 programmer and no hacking weapons in sight.<ref name=":4">{{cite web|last=Illiad|title=UF Cartoon Archive - Character Gallery - Mike|url=http://www.userfriendly.org/cartoons/mike/|website=www.userfriendly.org}}</ref> He loves hot [[ramen]] straight out of a styrofoam cup.

==== Miranda Cornielle ====
Miranda is a trained systems technologist, an experienced [[Unix|UNIX]] sysadmin, and very, very female. Her technical abilities unnerve the other techs, but her obvious physical charms compel them to stare at her, except for [[#Pitr Dubovich|Pitr]], who is convinced she is [[evil]]. Although she has few character flaws, she does express sadistic tendencies, especially towards marketers and [[luser]]s. Miranda finds Dust Puppy adorable.

She and [[#A.J. Garrett|A.J.]] are dating as of September 16, 2005, although she was previously frustrated by his inability to express himself and his love for her. This comes after years of missed opportunities and misunderstandings, such as when A.J. poured his feelings into an email and Miranda mistook it for the [[ILOVEYOU (computer virus)|ILOVEYOU]] email worm and deleted it unread.<ref>{{cite web|last=Illiad|title=UserFriendly Strip Comments|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20000511&mode=classic|website=ars.userfriendly.org|access-date=December 10, 2005|archive-date=August 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810021515/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20000511&mode=classic|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== Pitr Dubovich ====
Pitr is the administrator of the Columbia Internet server and a self-proclaimed [[Linux]] guru. He suddenly began to speak with a fake Slavic accent as part of his program to "Become an Evil Genius." He has almost succeeded in taking over the planet several times. His sworn enemy is [[#Sid Dabster|Sid]], who seems to outdo him at every turn. Pitr's achievements include: making the world's (second) strongest coffee, merging [[Coca-Cola]], [[Pepsi-Cola|Pepsi]] into Pitr-Cola and making Columbia Internet millions with a [[nuclear weapon]] purchased from [[Russia]], and the infamous [[Vigor (software)|Vigor]] text editor. He briefly worked for [[Google]], nearly succeeding in world domination, but was released from there and returned to Columbia Internet. Despite his vast efforts to become the ultimate evil character, his lack of illheartedness prevents him from reaching such achievement.

==== Sid Dabster ====
Sid is the oldest of the geeks and very knowledgeable. His advanced age gives him the upper hand against [[#Pitr Dubovich|Pitr]], whom he has outdone on several occasions, including in a coffee-brewing competition and in a round of ''[[Jeopardy!]]'' that he hacked in his own favor. Unlike Pitr, he has no ambitions for world domination per se, but he is a friend of [[Hastur]] and [[Cthulhu]] (based on the [[H. P. Lovecraft]] Mythos characters).  He was hired in September 2000 and he had formerly worked for [[Hewlett-Packard]], with ten years' experience<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=2000-09-26|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20000926|type=cartoon|author-link=J. D. Frazer}}{{Dead link|date=June 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.</ref>  It is his habit, unlike the other techs, to dress to a somewhat professional degree; when he first came to work, Smiling Man, the head accountant, expressed shock at the fact that Sid was wearing his usual blue business suit.<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=2000-09-27|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20000927|type=cartoon|author-link=J. D. Frazer|access-date=September 6, 2009|archive-date=July 11, 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020711115342/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20000927|url-status=dead}}.</ref>  He is also a fan of old technology, having grown up in the age of [[Text Editor and Corrector|TECO]], [[PDP-6]]es, the original [[VT100]], [[FORTRAN]], [[IBM 3270]] and the [[IBM 5150]]; one could, except for the decent taste in clothing, categorise him as a [[Real Programmer]].  He was once a [[Cannabis (drug)|cannabis]] smoker,<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User friendly|date=2001-05-07|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20010507|type=cartoon|author-link=J. D. Frazer|access-date=August 28, 2009|archive-date=December 17, 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021217225055/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20010507|url-status=dead}}.</ref> as contrasted with the rest of the technological staff, who prefer caffeine (Greg in the form of [[cola]], Miranda in the form of [[espresso]]).  This had the unfortunate effect of causing lung cancer and he was treated by an oncologist.<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=2009-10-14|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20091014|type=cartoon|author-link=J. D. Frazer}}{{Dead link|date=June 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.</ref>  He has since recovered from the cancer and was told he has another 20 years or so to live.

==== Pearl Dabster ====
Sid Dabster's beautiful daughter. The character appeared for the first time in the strip of Aug. 30, 2001.<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=2001-08-30|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20010830|type=cartoon|author-link=J. D. Frazer|access-date=June 28, 2010|archive-date=August 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810065102/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20010830|url-status=dead}}.</ref>  Pearl is often seen getting the better of the boys.  She is the antagonist of Miranda, and occasionally the object of Pitr's affections, much to the chagrin of Sid. Some people (both in strip and in the real world) wrongly assume that the character was named after the scripting language PERL. While this may be the true intention of the author, in the script timeline, is shown to be an error based on wordplay.<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=2001-08-31|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20010831|type=cartoon|author-link=J. D. Frazer|access-date=June 28, 2010|archive-date=August 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810065158/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20010831|url-status=dead}}.</ref>

==== Smiling Man ====
The Smiling Man is the company [[comptroller]]. He is in charge of [[Deposit account|accounts]], finances, and expenditures. He smiles all day for no reason. This in itself is enough to terrify most normal human beings (even via phone). However, the Dust Puppy, the "Evilphish", a delirious Stef, and a consultant in a purple suit have managed to get him to stop smiling first. His favourite wallpaper is a large, complex, and utterly meaningless [[spreadsheet]].

==== Stef Murky ====
Stef is the strip's Corporate Sales Manager.  He runs most of the marketing efforts within the firm, often selling things before they exist. He is a stereotypical marketer, with an enormous ego and a condescending attitude toward the techies; they detest him and frequently retaliate with pranks. He sucks at ''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]'', even once managing to die at the startup screen in ''[[Quake III Arena]]'';<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=March 17, 2000|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20000317|type=cartoon|author-link=J. D. Frazer|access-date=February 25, 2008|archive-date=July 11, 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020711114203/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20000317|url-status=dead}}.</ref> in addition, he manages to die by falling into lava in any game that contains it, including games where it is normally impossible to step in said lava.<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=October 14, 2006|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20061014|type=cartoon|author-link=J. D. Frazer|access-date=November 13, 2008|archive-date=May 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505190019/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20061014|url-status=dead}}.</ref> Although he admires [[Microsoft]] and frequently defends their marketing tactics, infuriating the techies, he has a real problem with Microsoft salesmen, probably because they make much more money than he does. His attitude towards women is decidedly chauvinist; he lusts after Miranda who will not have anything to do with him. Stef is definitely [[wiktionary:gormless|gormless]], as demonstrated on January 14, 2005.<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=2005-01-14|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20050114|type=UserFriendly|contribution=Strip Comments|author-link=J. D. Frazer|access-date=January 31, 2005|archive-date=April 4, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050404033354/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20050114|url-status=dead}}.</ref>

== Production ==
In a 2008 article, reviewer Eric Burns said that as best he could tell, Frazer had produced strips seven days a week, without missing an update for, at that time, almost 11 years.<ref name=":1" /> Frazer would draw several days' worth of comics in advance, but the Sunday comic – based on current events and in color – was always drawn for immediate release and did not relate to the regular storyline.{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}}

The website for ''User Friendly'' included other features such as Link of the Day and Iambe Intimate & Interactive, a weekly editorial written under the pseudonym "Iambe".<ref>Iambe Intimate & Interactive site page, http://www.userfriendly.org/community/iambe/</ref>

In late 1999, ''User Friendly'' and ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' swapped a character ([[#A.J. Garrett|A.J.]] and [[Characters of Sluggy Freelance#Torg|Torg]]).{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}}

The strip and [[Loki Software]] teamed up for [[Skin (computing)|player skin]] and [[Mod (video games)|custom level]] contest for ''[[Quake III Arena]]'' in 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.linux.com/news/loki-and-userfriendly-sponsor-quake-iii-skins-contest/|title=Loki and Userfriendly sponsor Quake III skins contest|website=[[Linux.com]]|date=2000-09-21|first=Tina|last=Gasperson|access-date=2023-02-27}}</ref> A [[Flash cartoon]] based on the series was also produced.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.linux.com/news/vfs-live-stream-interview-illiad-and-webdi/|website=[[Linux.com]]|title=VFS Live to stream interview with Illiad and WebDi|date=2000-09-18|first=JT|last=Smith|access-date=2024-03-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://flashmuseum.org/user-friendly-animation-episode-1/|title=User Friendly Animation Episode 1 - Play Online on Flash Museum 🕹️|date=April 16, 2024|website=Flash Museum}}</ref>

=== Author ===
J. D. Frazer was born in 1969.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Illiad|title=Money for content and your clicks for free : turning web sites, blogs, and podcasts into cash|date=2006|publisher=Wiley|isbn=978-0-471-74753-6|location=Indianapolis|oclc=64089426}}</ref> He began his career in law enforcement and served as a corrections officer,<ref name="corrections">{{cite web|last=Frazer|first=J. D.|date=28 September 2006|title=What job/career have you had that you wouldn't recommend to anyone?|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/read.cgi?id=20060928&tid=2214257|access-date=2006-09-29|publisher=User Friendly}}{{Dead link|date=June 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> hoping eventually to join the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]], but he changed his mind, leaving law enforcement to pursue more creative endeavours.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Janelle |date=1999-10-27 |title=Cartoon for coders |url=https://www.salon.com/1999/10/27/user_friendly/ |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=Salon |language=en}}</ref> He worked as a [[game designer]], [[Unit production manager|production manager]], [[art director]], [[project manager]], [[Web service]]s manager, writer, creative director, and [[cartoonist]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Even Grues Get Full - tech humor book review|url=http://www.kickstartnews.com/reviews/books/even_grues_get_full.html|access-date=2021-04-01|website=www.kickstartnews.com}}</ref> {{as of|2014}} he lived in [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], Canada.<ref name=":4" />

=== Creation ===
Frazer started writing ''User Friendly'' in 1997.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426173558/https://mashable.com/2009/03/03/web-comics/|url=https://mashable.com/2009/03/03/web-comics/|archive-date=2018-04-26|access-date=2024-03-02|title=20 of the Best Web Comics|first=Sean|last=P. Aune|website=[[Mashable]] |date=2009-03-03}}</ref> According to Frazer, he started cartooning at age 12. He had tried to get into cartooning through [[Print syndication|syndicates]] with a strip called ''Dust Puppies'', but it was rejected by six syndicates. Later, while working at an [[Internet service provider|ISP]], he drew some cartoons which his co-workers enjoyed. He then drew a month's worth of cartoons and posted them online. After that, he quit his job and then worked on the comic.<ref name="autogenerated12">{{cite web|last=Coleman|first=Chris|date=February 9, 2001|title=An Interview With Illiad|url=http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2001/02/09/illiad.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020105101131/http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2001/02/09/illiad.html|archive-date=2002-01-05|access-date=2008-07-05|work=ONLamp}}</ref>

=== Success ===
Writer Xavier Xerxes said that in the very early days of webcomics, Frazer was probably one of the bigger success stories and was one of the first to make a living from a webcomic.<ref name="COMIXtalk">{{cite web|last=Xerxes|first=Xaviar|date=January 2007|title=Biggie Panda: Old Skool Webcomics|url=http://comixtalk.com/old_skool_webcomics|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902073144/http://comixtalk.com/old_skool_webcomics|archive-date=September 2, 2011|access-date=2008-07-05|work=COMIXtalk|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Eric Burns attributed initial success of the comic to the makeup of the early internet, saying, "In 1997, a disproportionate number of internet users... were in the [[Information technology|I.T. Industry]]. When ''User Friendly'' began gathering momentum, there wasn't just little to nothing like it on the web -- it appealed and spoke to a much larger percentage of the internet reading audience than mainstream society would support outside of that filter.... in the waning years of the 20th Century, it was a safe bet that if someone had an internet connection in the first place, they'd find ''User Friendly'' funny."<ref name=":1" />

On [[April Fools' Day]] 1999, the site appeared to be shut down permanently after a third party sued.<ref>{{cite web|title=Segfault.org and UserFriendly.org get shut down|date=1999-04-01|access-date=2024-10-05|archive-date=2019-06-06|first=Dave|last=Whitinger|website=Linux Today|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190606180327/https://www.linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/1999040100310NW|url=https://www.linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/1999040100310NW}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/1999040100410NW|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211213829/https://www.linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/1999040100410NW|title=April Fools!|date=1999-04-01|first=Dave|last=Whitinger|archive-date=2020-12-11|access-date=2024-10-04|website=Linux Today}}</ref> In future years, the April 1st cartoon referenced back to the disruption that was caused.<ref>April 1, 2000 Cartoon, https://web.archive.org/web/20220225214636/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20000401</ref><ref>April 1, 2004 Cartoon, https://web.archive.org/web/20220226103320/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20040401</ref>

In a 2001 interview, Frazer said that he was not handling fame well, and pretended not to be famous in order to keep his life normal. He said that his income came from sponsorship, advertising, and sales of printed collections.<ref name="autogenerated12" /> These compilations have been published by [[O'Reilly Media]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oreilly.com/pub/pr/916|title=O'Reilly Releases "The Root of All Evil"--Latest Exploits of User Friendly's Dust Puppy & Gang|website=[[O'Reilly Media]]|date=2001-09-04|access-date=2024-03-02}}</ref>

Since 2000, ''User Friendly'' had been published in a variety of newspapers, including [[The National Post]] in Canada and the [[Linux Journal]] magazine.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/1999/09/dilbert-killer/|title=Dilbert Killer|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|first=Josh|last=Lucas|date=1999-09-01|access-date=2024-03-01}}</ref>

=== Ideas ===
In a 2001 interview, Frazer estimated that about 40% of strip ideas came from reader submissions, and occasionally he would get submissions that he would use "unmodified".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.salon.com/1999/10/27/user_friendly/|title=Cartoon for coders|website=[[Salon.com]]|first=Janelle|last=Brown|date=1999-10-27|access-date=2024-03-02}}</ref>  He also said that he educated himself on the operating system [[Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD]] in order to make informed jokes about it.<ref name="autogenerated12" />

In 2009, Frazer was found to be copying punchlines found in the [[MetaFilter]] community. After one poster found a comment on MetaFilter that was similar to a ''User Friendly'' comic, users searched and found several other examples.<ref name=":3">{{Citation|title=Social Pressure Can Solve The 'Copying' Problem Even Without Copyright|date=2009-02-23|url=http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090223/1106473864.shtml|publisher=[[Techdirt]]}}.</ref> Initially, Frazer posted on MetaFilter saying "I get a flurry of submissions and one-liners every week, and I haven't checked many of them at all, because I rarely had to in the past" but later admitted that he had taken quotes directly from the site.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Wha Wha Wibble|url=https://metatalk.metafilter.com/17390/Wha-Wha-Wibble|access-date=2020-11-16|website=metatalk.metafilter.com|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> On his website, Frazer said, "I offered no attribution or asked for permission [for these punchlines], over the last couple of years I've infringed on the expression of ideas of some (who I think are) clever people. Plagiarized. My hypocrisy seems to know no bounds, as an infamous gunman was once heard saying. I sincerely apologize to my readers and to the original authors. I offer no excuses and accept full blame and responsibility. As a result, I'll be modifying the cartoons in question. No, it won't happen again. Yes, I've immersed myself in mild acid."<ref>{{Cite web|first=J.D.|last=Frazer|date=2009-02-23|title=[Illiad] BEYOND THE PALE AND AN APOLOGY|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/news/?id=1235411196|access-date=2020-11-16|website=User Friendly|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518013109/http://ars.userfriendly.org/news/?id=1235411196|archive-date=2019-05-18}}</ref>

While published books still contain at least one cartoon with a punchline taken from MetaFilter, Frazer has removed these cartoons from the website, or updated them to quote and credit the source of the punchlines, and fans searched through the archives to ensure that none of the other punchlines have been plagiarized.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/news/?id=1235699201|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621044213/http://ars.userfriendly.org/news/?id=1235699201|title=[Illiad] FIXED, AND WILL CONTINUE FIXING|date=2009-03-13|access-date=2024-10-04|archive-date=2019-06-21|first=J.D.|last=Frazer|website=User Friendly}}</ref>

=== Suspension ===
The strip went on hiatus from June 1, 2009<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=2009-06-01|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20090601|author-link=J. D. Frazer|access-date=June 1, 2009|archive-date=August 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810035832/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20090601|url-status=dead}}.</ref> to August 2009 for personal reasons.<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|type=re-runs|contribution=June & July|contribution-url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/news/?id=1242313604|author-link=J. D. Frazer|access-date=June 1, 2009|archive-date=May 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514034646/http://ars.userfriendly.org/news/?id=1242313604|url-status=dead}}.</ref> In this period, previous strips were re-posted.

A second hiatus lasted from December 1, 2009 until August 1, 2010, again for personal reasons. New cartoons, supplied by the community as part of a competition, started to appear as of August 2, 2010.<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=2010-08-02|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20100802|author-link=J. D. Frazer}}{{Dead link|date=June 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.</ref>

From November 1, 2010 through November 21, 2010, Illiad published a special "Remembrance Day story arc", and stated that it is "vague and at this point random" what will happen to the strip afterwards, that "going daily again is highly unlikely", but that "there are still many stories that I want to tell through UF, over time".<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|contribution=Remembrance Day Story Arc & Other Matters|contribution-url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/news/?id=1288609435|author-link=J. D. Frazer}}{{Dead link|date=June 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.</ref> Since then, previous comics have been re-posted on a daily basis.

After the de facto stop of publishing new content, three one-off comics commemoration special occasions were published:
* 19/03-2011:<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=2011-03-19|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20110319|author-link=J. D. Frazer|archive-date=28 May 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190528222810/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20110319}}{{Dead link|date=June 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.</ref> The [[Fukushima nuclear disaster]]
* 09/10-2011:<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=2011-10-09|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20111009|author-link=J. D. Frazer|access-date=16 September 2025|archive-date=2 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502225318/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20111009}}{{Dead link|date=June 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.</ref> The death of [[Steve Jobs]]
* 01/01-2012:<ref group="#">{{Citation|last=Frazer|first=JD ‘Illiad’|title=User Friendly|date=2012-01-01|url=http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20120101|author-link=J. D. Frazer|access-date=July 14, 2023|archive-date=February 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225172652/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20120101|url-status=dead}}.</ref> The death of [[Dennis Ritchie]]

On 24 February 2022, Illiad announced that the website would be shut down soon, "at the end of this month. If not, it won't be much later than that."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220226013838/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/read.cgi?id=20220224&tid=4056273 "HEADS UP: We're Going Dark"], Illiad, 2022-02-24</ref>

At approximately midnight Pacific Time on the evening of 28 February 2022, the website was shut down.

== Reviews ==
''User Friendly'' has received mixed reviews over the years.

In a 2008 review, Eric Burns of Websnark called it a "damned good comic strip", but felt it had several problems. Burns felt that the strip had not evolved in several years, saying "his strip is exactly the same today as it was in 1998... the same characters, the same humor, the same punchlines, the same punching bags as before." Burns said that characters learn no lessons, and that "[i]f Frazer uses copy and paste to put his characters in, he's been using the same clip art for the entire 21st century." Burns also criticised the stereotypical depiction of idiotic computer users as outdated. But fundamentally, Burns found the strip funny, saying anyone who had worked IT would likely find it funny, and even those who had not will find something in it amusing. Burns felt that some criticism of ''User Friendly'' came from seeing it as general webcomic, rather than one targeted at a specific audience of old-school IT geeks, and he considered that the targeted approach was a good business model.<ref name=":1" />

Writer T Campbell declared JD Frazer's work as "ow[ing] a heavy debt to [[Scott Adams|[Scott] Adams]], but his 'nerdcore' was a purer sort: the jokes were often for nerds ONLY-- NO NON-TECHIES ALLOWD{{sic}}." He continued "He wasn't the first webtoonist to target his audience so precisely, but he was the first to do it on a daily schedule, and that kind of single-minded dedication is something most techies could appreciate. User Friendly set the tone for nerdcore strips to follow."<ref name=":0">{{cite web|last1=Zabel|first1=Joseph ‘Joe’|display-authors=etal|date=September 30, 2005|title=The Artistic History of Webcomics: A Webcomics Examiner Roundtable|url=http://webcomicsreview.com/examiner/issue050912/history1.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051124120515/http://webcomicsreview.com/examiner/issue050912/history1.html|archive-date=November 24, 2005|access-date=2008-07-07|work=The Webcomics Examiner|df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[Time magazine]] called ''User Friendly'' "a strip in the wry, verbal vein of [[Doonesbury]]...the humor is a combination of pop culture references and inside jokes straight outta the IT department."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://everything2.com/user/Worthy/writeups/User+Friendly|title=User Friendly|website=[[Everything2]]|author=Worthy|date=2022-11-22|access-date=2024-03-02}}</ref> The strip was among the most notable of a wave of similar strips, including ''Help Desk'' by Christopher B. Wright,<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=https://www.pingdom.com/blog/7-tech-comics-that-will-put-a-big-smile-on-your-face/|title=7 tech comics that will put a big smile on your face|date=2009-01-16|access-date=2024-03-01|website=Pingdom|author=SolarWinds Worldwide}}</ref> ''General Protection Fault'' by Jeffrey T. Darlington,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/newsforge-user-friendly-and-gpf-creators-on-comics-and-operating-systems/|website=Linux Today|title="User Friendly" and "GPF" Creators on Comics and Operating Systems|date=2005-11-08|access-date=2024-03-02}}</ref> ''[[The PC Weenies]]'' by Krishna Sadasivam,<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/sidesplitting-tech-comics/|website=[[CNET]]|title=Sidesplitting tech comics|first=Jessica|last=Dolcourt|date=2007-09-10|access-date=2024-03-02}}</ref> ''Geek & Poke'' by Oliver Widder,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://onextrapixel.com/the-best-entertaining-online-web-tech-comics/|title=The Best Entertaining Online Web Tech Comics|date=2013-06-17|first=Carol|last=Francis|website=oneextrapixel|access-date=2024-03-02}}</ref> ''[[Working Daze]]'' by [[John Zakour]], and ''[[The Joy of Tech]]'' by Liza Schmalcel and Bruce Evans.

Comic writer and artist [[Joe Zabel]] said that User Friendly "may be one of the earliest webcomics manifestation of the use of templates... renderings of the characters that are cut and pasted directly into the comic strip... I think the main significance of User Friendly is that in 1997 it was really, really crude in every respect. Horrible artwork, terrible storyline, zilch characterization, and extremely dull, obvious jokes. And yet it was a smash hit! I think this demonstrates that the public will embrace just about anything if it's free and the circumstances are right. And it indicates that new internet users of the time were really hungry, downright starving, for entertainment.... his current work [speaking in 2005] is comparatively slick and professional. But I suspect that his early work had enormous influence, because it encouraged thousands of people with few skills and little talent to jump into the webcomics field." Zabel also credited User Friendly's success in part to its "series mascot", Dust Puppy, saying that "the popular gag-a-day cartoons almost always have some kind of mascot."<ref name=":0" />

The webcomic [[Penny Arcade]] produced a strip in 1999 just to criticise Frazer, saying "people will pass up steak once a week for crap every day."<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Holkins|first1=Jerry|last2=Mike|first2=Krahulik|date=1999-04-07|title=Illiad: Not Funny|url=https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/1999/04/07/|access-date=2020-11-16|website=Penny Arcade}}</ref> They also criticized the commercialism of the enterprise.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://everything2.com/title/User+Friendly+Media|website=[[Everything2]]|title=User Friendly Media|author=dragoon|date=2000-08-20|access-date=2024-03-02}}</ref> By contrast, [[CNET]] included it on 2007 a list of "sidesplitting tech comics",<ref name="auto"/> [[Mashable]] included it in a 2009 list of the 20 best webcomics<ref name=":2" /> and [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] listed it as one of the most influential webcomics of all time in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/comics/2018/11/27/18106566/webcomics-most-important-influential |title=The most influential webcomics of all time|first=K. Thor|last=Jensen|date=2018-11-27|access-date=2024-03-01|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]}}</ref> It has also been noted by FromDev,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fromdev.com/2014/05/geek-comics-websites-best.html|date=2014-05-14|title=Awesome Geek Comics Websites|first=Sarikaz|last=Dubey|website=FromDev|access-date=2024-03-02}}</ref> Brainz,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brainz.org/funniest-webcomics/|title=20 Funny Web Comics You'd Love To Read|website=Brainz|access-date=2024-03-01}}</ref> RiskOptics,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://reciprocity.com/6-infosec-cartoons-and-webcomics/|title=6 InfoSec Cartoons & Webcomics to Brighten a Gloomy Week|work=RiskOptics|date=2017-03-03|access-date=2024-03-01|author1=Riskoptics|archive-date=March 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302065931/https://reciprocity.com/6-infosec-cartoons-and-webcomics/|url-status=dead}}</ref> DondeQ2,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dondeq2.com/2018/11/14/quake-funny-pages-byte-me_-dilbert-penny-arcade-and-user-friendly/|title=Quake Funny Pages: >Byte Me_, Dilbert, Penny Arcade and User Friendly|website=DondeQ2|date=2018-11-14|access-date=2024-03-02}}</ref>  and Pingdom.<ref name="auto1"/> [[CBR.com]] concluded the comic had aged poorly in a 2023 rundown.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/webcomics-aged-poorly/#user-friendly|title=10 Great Webcomics That Aged Poorly|first=Angelo Delos|last=Trinos|date=2023-08-08|access-date=2024-03-02|website=[[CBR.com]]}}</ref>

Lawrence I. Charters appreciated the nature of the titles used for the published books.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wap.org/journal/rootofevil/|title=The Root of All Evil: A Review|date=2002|first=Lawrence I.|last=Charters|website=Washington Apple Pi Journal|access-date=2024-03-02}}</ref> Francis Glassborow cited the specificity of the humour,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://accu.org/bookreviews/2003/glassborow_763/|website=[[ACCU (organisation)|ACCU]]|title=Even Grues Get Full - The Fourth User Friendly Collection|first=Francis|last=Glassborow|date=October 2003|access-date=2024-03-02}}</ref> which also lead Retro Activity to find the strip "difficult to recommend" along with the limited art style.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://retroactivitycom.wordpress.com/2016/04/27/entry-9-user-friendly/|website=Retro Activity|title=Entry 9: 'User Friendly'|date=2016-04-27|access-date=2024-03-02}}</ref> Mike Kaltschnee also mentioned the weakness of the art, but was impressed at Illiad maintaining publication of a strip every day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://site1.dacs.org/archive/0006/feature1.htm|website=dacs.doc electric|title=User Friendly - A cartoon book for geeks|first=Mike|last=Kaltschnee|access-date=2024-03-02|archive-date=March 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302221137/https://site1.dacs.org/archive/0006/feature1.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> "Webcomics: The Influence and Continuation of the Comix Revolution" described how the strip represented the [[counter-cultural]] aspects of the [[open-source software movement]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://imagetextjournal.com/webcomics-the-influence-and-continuation-of-the-comix-revolution/|title=Webcomics: The Influence and Continuation of the Comix Revolution|first1=Sean|last1=Fenty|first2=Trena|last2=Houp|first3=Laurie|last3=Taylor|website=ImageText|date=May 2005|access-date=2024-03-02}}</ref> Dustin Puryear observed how the strip represents the conflicts between the computer literate and newer less informed users.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.32bitsonline.com/article.php3?file=issues/200009/evil_geniuses&page=1|website=32BitsOnline|first=Dustin|last=Puryear|title=A Review of Evil Geniuses In A Nutshell|date=2000-09-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010409025335/http://www.32bitsonline.com/article.php3?file=issues/200009/evil_geniuses&page=1 |access-date=2024-03-02|archive-date=April 9, 2001 }}</ref> Christine Moellenberndt wrote about the online community spawned around the comic strip.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/requiem-community-what-i-learned-from-online-comic-moellenberndt|website=[[LinkedIn]]|title=Requiem for a Community; What i learned about community from an online comic strip|first=Christine|last=Moellenberndt|date=2022-05-06|access-date=2024-03-02}}</ref>

In 2007, ''User Friendly'' was part of an exhibit at The [[Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art]] called ''Infinite Canvas: The Art of Webcomics''.<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 5, 2007|title=Webcomics show at MoCCA|url=http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/09/05/webcomics-show-at-mocca/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925090244/http://www.comicsbeat.com/2007/09/05/webcomics-show-at-mocca/|archive-date=2011-09-25|access-date=2020-11-16|website=The Beat}}</ref>

== Bibliography ==
Several cartoon compilations have been published:

* ''User Friendly, v1.0'', Plan Nine Publishing, 2002, {{ISBN|1-929462-39-5}} (collects earlier strips)
* ''User Friendly'', O'Reilly, 1999, {{ISBN|1-56592-673-0}} [http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19980125 January 25, 1998] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130705182146/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19980125 |date=July 5, 2013 }} – [http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19981225 December 25, 1998] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051202074801/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19981225 |date=December 2, 2005 }} (misses out [http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19981220&mode=classic December 20] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051113173412/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19981220&mode=classic |date=November 13, 2005 }} and probably some others)
* ''Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell'', O'Reilly, 2000, {{ISBN|1-56592-861-X}}  [http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19990103 January 3, 1999] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020709195935/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19990103 |date=July 9, 2002 }} – [http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19991211 December 11, 1999]{{Dead link|date=February 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* ''The Root of All Evil'', O'Reilly, 2001, {{ISBN|0-596-00193-2}} [http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20000101 January 1, 2000] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051201113159/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20000101 |date=December 1, 2005 }} – [http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20001231 December 31, 2000] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050313233730/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20001231 |date=March 13, 2005 }}
* ''Even Grues Get Full'', O'Reilly, 2003, {{ISBN|0-596-00566-0}} [http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20010101 January 1, 2001] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020712022742/http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20010101 |date=July 12, 2002 }} – [http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20011117 November 17, 2001]{{Dead link|date=June 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* ''User Friendly – Die Deutsche Dialekt-Ausgabe'' (translation to several German [[dialect]]s) {{ISBN|3-89721-380-X}}
* ''Ten Years of UserFriendly.Org'', Manning Dec 2008, {{ISBN|978-1-935182-12-2}} a 1000-page hardback collection of every script with some comments by the author.

==References==
{{Reflist |30em}}

===Story notes===
{{Reflist|30em|group="#"}}

==External links==
* {{Citation | last = Frazer | first = JD ‘Illiad’ | author-link = J. D. Frazer | url = http://www.userfriendly.org/static/ | title = User Friendly | type = Website | access-date = September 4, 2001 | archive-date = August 1, 2001 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20010801193440/http://www.userfriendly.org/static/ | url-status = dead }}.
* {{Citation | url = http://ufies.org/ | title = UFies | type = User Friendly users and fans Website}}.
* [https://archive.org/details/user-friendly-comic User Friendly comic archive] on [[Archive.org]]

{{Canadian comics}}

[[Category:Canadian comedy webcomics]]
[[Category:Workplace webcomics]]
[[Category:Computer humour]]
[[Category:1990s webcomics]]
[[Category:2000s webcomics]]
[[Category:2010s webcomics]]
[[Category:Webcomics in print]]
[[Category:1997 webcomic debuts]]
[[Category:Comics involved in plagiarism controversies]]
[[Category:Gag-a-day comics]]
[[Category:Canadian comic strips]]