[JoshTriplett]

The ridiculously precise progress bar may actually be a case of "reality is unrealistic": if you produced a quick-and-dirty progress bar by just printing a float, without bothering to trim the precision, you'd get something like that.

[HCIdivision17]

I'll confirm this. When I make scripts for some SCADA recipe handling, I make sure to output with at least 7 sig-figs and ETA in DDD HH:MM:SS.###. (Properly formatted, though.)

It's not useful, but it's technically true, the overhead and development is negligible, and it amuses me. "See? It's super sophisticated just like that progress bar in the movies!" Incidentally, it also makes it easier for operators to accept the computer is busy and just wait a minute.