Upstream access to Ubuntu package bugs

[Luka Renko]

On Thursday 06 September 2007 19:49:27 Christian Robottom Reis wrote:
> We already synchronize status from the KDE bug tracker, which allows
> Launchpad watches on KDE bugs to be updated. Part of the problem Sarah
> is pointing out is that there are many Ubuntu-reported bugs that are
> actually upstream, and that upstream is offering to triage them for us.

There are also bugs that are only reported in Ubuntu and never properly 
forwarded upstream - it just takes effort to do this, so we should be very 
happy if upstream developers would like to help and do bug triage directly on 
Ubuntu bug database. Lot's of upstream projects value the reach Ubuntu has 
and this is why they are using LP directly (more and more). And I think we 
should make it easier to do so, not harder.
I would also like to point out that many upstream projects may not have proper 
bug tracking tool (some use mailing lists), even less integration of their 
bug tracking into LP bug watch feature. Good example of such projects are 
packages that are created from KDE-Apps.org site: many projects there are 
available in Ubuntu as package but they do not use KDE infrastructure for 
bugs or source code. If they start to use LP for Ubuntu bug triage, they 
might see other benefits of LP infrastructure and may register they project 
on LP, start using BZR... 

> I certainly disagree with this being anything but triage -- for
> instance, if the bug has been fixed upstream, it should remain open
> in Ubuntu until a new package is made available. However, for the first
> half of the triage process (i.e. from New to Confirmed) the statuses are
> similar.

I understand your concern about Fix Released (which should be only set when 
fixed package is uploaded in Ubuntu), but I do not see problem with other 
states.

> The question for me is what specifically are these triagers find to be
> problems? What would they like to do which they currently can't?

They need to join Ubuntu QA group and even to do that, somebody need to tell 
them to do so. Since they have very limited interest (package or some 
packages), it would make sense to provide an option to configure LP users 
that are official triagers for the specific package. That way, Ubuntu QA 
members (or any other authority) could assign official triaggers to specific 
package.

Regards,
Luka