Reporting bugs about Ubuntu

[Derek Broughton]

Xandros Pilosa wrote:

> NoOp pravi:
> <snip>
>> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apport/+filebug?no-redirect=
>> works. However, I have enough issues already without having to bookmark
>> a link
>> (http://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/PACKAGENAME/+filebug?no-
redirect),
>> fill in the packagename, and file the bug.
> 
> Agree.
> But on the other hand, we have to admit that asking bug reporters to
> submit additional data/logs about their bugs in almost every other
> report is a lost of time for developers.

My experience is that developers have rarely asked that.  Somehow I don't 
think it's because I've always submitted every single detail they need. :-)  
>From my own experience in support, I think it's because all that apport data 
really isn't that useful - it's _far_ more useful for a developer to get a 
good problem description that allows him to reproduce a problem on his own 
system, than to get stack traces that explained what happened on someone 
else's (now, that might be personal bias - I'm pretty good at this stuff, 
but I've known people who can read stack traces more easily than "See Spot 
run").

>> but adding one more hoop to go through is pretty much testing my
>> 'goodwill' with regards to further bug reporting.

I agree.  You need to make it simple for the user to submit good bug 
reports, and apport doesn't seem to be accomplishing that.  What I get is an 
application crash, followed by a cryptic popup from apport (_frequently_ 
followed by apport crashing and popping up more...), eventually popping up a 
browser page in launchpad.  By the time I get there, I rarely even have a 
clue what I did that triggered the whole thing, so I'm stuck deciding 
whether to simply file the report with nothing more than the apport data, or 
to give up.  So far "give up" has seemed the right thing to do.

I think the first, most important, thing is that bug reports _must_ be 
initiated by users.  If they're not starting the process, it's just an 
imposition.
-- 
derek