Topic: Why you should use Bugzilla

[ReetP]

The importance of Bugs and Bugzilla

In a post I made on the devlist I put a very short version of the following and someone suggested I write a slightly longer version. Here it is.

I wanted to try and clarify why we bang on about bugs and bugzilla all the time.

No, bugzilla ISN'T the easiest thing to use to start with and it takes a little practice, but there are some EXTREMELY good reasons why we should use it.

First and foremost is that the developers do not always read the forums, so a problem that may be a bug would not get seen/flagged by them immediately. (Yes, they do pop in to the forums as and when they can, but the first things they look at are bugs.)

However all the devs DO get an email from bugzilla every time a bug is raised.

As the most experienced people around here, they can usually tell at a glance if it is something that needs urgent attention or not (triage the bug), and if it is a problem with the core system. Better they close it and say ask in the forums than it be posted in the forums and missed..... Ultimately they are better judges of whether something is a bug or not. (Yes, there can be occasional frustrations if they decide it is not a bug, or is a wontfix, but that is another story)

Next it also provides a record of problems, and any fixes, that can easily be referred too later. If they make a fix and introduce a regression we can see exactly what went on, the thought processes, the code, verifications etc. It gives a level of quality assurance to the process. It also means that a new dev can easily read through and understand what has gone on.

Devs can also set a variety of statuses on bugs to indicate their progress. They get notified if there is a change of status. They can also do things like set one as blocking say a release of an ISO - i.e you can't build and release an ISO until bug x, y, or z is fixed.

Bugzilla is also closely tied to the buildsystem. Developers can easily flip patches into the buildsystem and it makes their already busy lives much easier. The more time we save them, the more stuff they can fix. The are used to bugzilla and can get through bugs and bug reports at a much higher rate than they can in forums.

Forums can also become a free for all if you are not careful, with lots of well meaning but not necessarily very good people offering all sorts of advice (have a look in lots of Windows help forums to see what I mean !) We are extremely fortunate here with some extremely talented people giving very good advice. However, a proper bug report concentrates the thought processes for all concerned.

In the bug tracker you will only usually get the experienced developers (and occasional idiots like me). They tend to cut to the chase. They are usually methodical, logical, and really know their code. They won't waste your time on chasing wild geese

Ultimately bugzilla saves the devs a lot of time...... and their time is precious and we need to use it as wisely as possible.

Here is some useful further reading.

http://wiki.contribs.org/Bugzilla_Help
http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html
http://www.bugzilla.org/docs/4.0/en/html/using.html

If you need help then PLEASE ASK. We are more than happy to help people learn how to use these tools as it benefits us all.

Remember, if the system does not function as you expect, have a good read around on the wiki, and forums. And when it still doesn't function as expected, file a bug report

I hope this helps a little. If people want further clarification then please ask and we will try to help as it benefits us all.

The 'Official' version of this post is here :

http://wiki.contribs.org/Why_you_should_use_Bugzilla

B. Rgds
John Crisp

President, Koozali Foundation Inc.

For a list of outstanding bugs pulled directly from Bugzilla please see the following link :

http://wiki.contribs.org/Triage_Queue

You can usually catch some of us on IRC

freenode #SME_Server

Use an IRC client or go here : https://webchat.freenode.net/

Note that even if we are there we may not be able to reply immediately so be patient. We all have jobs, and some of us are on different time zones, so leave your message and hang around !

[janet]

I would add the words that appear at the top of the page when creating a forum post or replying to a forum post.

"Don't (do not) report problems here - Please report bugs and potential bugs in the bug tracker"

You do not need to determine if your problem really is a bug, any problem you have is a potential bug & should be posted to bugzilla initially.
If it is then determined not to be a bug or not a problem suitable for resolving in bugzilla, then you will be referred back to the forums.

Having a record of unusual issues (that are determined not to be bugs) also helps developers improve code & create a better more friendly user interface & procedure flow etc.

[guest22]

Having a record of unusual issues (that are determined not to be bugs) also helps developers improve code & create a better more friendly user interface & procedure flow etc.

Agree.

[stephdl]

Except if there is no triage first by the forum we will have no time to work on code. Often questions in the forum are the same....how enable that repository etc....

[TerryF]

I think asking in the forums how to do something because the user lacks the knowledge differs from a question about something that does not work as expected or as it should, fine lines yes...

Toss up, most users like me, ie non techs and inexperienced here, would stop at the forums first with a question asking for help with the management of the system, and here comes the but, if you are fair dinkum, theres a phrase you will have to look up, they will have already done extensive reading of the wiki and the forums, if not, then they need to do just that first.

Its the usual chicken or the egg.