2011-03-31 10:58 | fche blog tech yes, can you file a bug?
Imagine that you're a user of some nice steaming fresh piece of free software. You come across a problem. You are well-informed in the ways of the FOSS world, and so you make contact with the developers to ask them about it. What happens next is a tossup.
Sometime a diagnosis is instant:
- known bug, already fixed in later version. "version X will fix that."
- suspected fixed already: "Hey, can you install version X and try again?"
- not a bug. "You're doing it wrong. Read this FAQ."
Sometimes some followup is necessary by the developers. You might receive responses from a range of personas:
- the ghost. Does not respond.
- the blase. "Yeah whatever, it's a bug."
- the sadistic. "File a bug. You'll need to create a new account in our bug tracker. And reply to its confirmation email."
- the devil himself. "Oh, we only redistribute this package. Go talk to those upstream developers. And file a bug in their tracker after you create a new account. And reply to its confirmation email. Don't file a bug here; I don't want to hear about this again."
- the teacher. "Our web site was misleading. I fixed it, does it help?"
- the helpful. "I'll file a bug for you. Here's a URL you can monitor."
- the overachiever. "Here's a patch, please try it."
One does not need to spell out which of these is the most inviting.