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 Please keep on-topic replies on the list so everyone benefits -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-project+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-project+help@opensuse.org