Mailinglist Archive: opensuse-project (172 mails)

[Jim Henderson <hendersj@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:57:08 -0700, PGNet wrote:

> we (non-developer users) are asked to contribute to the project, AND to
> file bugs @novell.  so, when something is important to us (often
> standing in the way our business requirements) -- we do.  sometimes by
> feature request, sometimes by filing a bug, sometimes by spending lots
> of times helping trace the bug, etc.

This comment is interesting to me as well, not directly related but 
indirectly so - in the openSUSE Forums (have a look in the soapbox forum 
for some examples), I occasionally see people complaining that they 
opened a bug and it is closed by a developer as "WORKSFORME", rather than 
the developer asking for further information so they can trace the 
problem down.  While I haven't run into this one myself, it seems that 
some members of the user community are asking why they should file bugs 
if they just get closed without the developer asking for more information.

Not all of our users have a background in information technology, so it's 
not always obvious what information needs to be provided.  To a developer 
or someone with an IT background, saying "get a stack trace" means 
something.  To a normal user, you might as well be asking them for 
directions to the Martian highlands - they don't know what a "stack 
trace" is or how to get one.

Just closing the bug - even though the user has done what is requested 
and filed one in the first place so as to feel that they're contributing 
to the continued improvement of the distribution - tells the user that 
submitting bugs is just a waste of their time, and they become less 
inclined to do so.

Just an observation on my part; having a background in IT and enough 
coding experience to be dangerous, I usually include text in my bugs that 
asks for the developer to let me know if other information is needed, and 
try to provide as much relevant information as I can.  I know what that 
relevant information is likely to be; my aunt who uses her machine to 
surf the web, listen to music, and occasionally write a letter won't have 
any clue.

Jim

-- 
 Jim Henderson
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