Re: Q: on Debian Bug-Tracking system
Subject: Re: Q: on Debian Bug-Tracking system
Date: Thu, Sep 28, 2000 at 11:38:40AM +0900
In reply to:Olaf Meeuwissen
Quoting Olaf Meeuwissen(olaf@epkowa.co.jp):
> Wayne Topa <wtopa@dmcom.net> writes:
>
> > Would someone know if the bugs listed on debian.org/Bugs are the
> > 'current' outstanding bugs or just of all the bugs ever posted?
>
> It lists the all the bugs filed that the maintainer has not yet
> closed, which is likely someway between current outstanding and
> all bugs ever posted.
>
> Sometimes things get fixed in the upstream without the maintainer
> noticing it, sometimes the maintainer fixed it but forgot to close
> the bug report, and sometimes a bug report is nothing but a feature
> request. It depends.
Thanks. That makes sense. It seems that maybe something could be done
to clear out some of those outstanding, old, reports. Possibly a
group of users could find educational to help with that. See below.
>
> > In working up a course outline for an up-coming class, I found
> > a bunch of 'inconsistencies' in the doc packages (doc-base, dhelp,
[snip]
>
> I've been using dhelp and dwww quite a bit and although there are some
> quirks it is mostly functional; at least for what I use it for: browse
> documentation installed at a central site so I don't waste disk space
> all over the place.
>
> Be honest to your class. Tell them that the system mostly works as
> documented, but since documentation is always trailing the latest and
> greatest version there may be some discrepancies. The bigger the time
> lag between version and documentation, well, it's obvious isn't it.
> For example, there are some HOWTOs available that haven't been updated
> for two years. Of course you should not expect the information in
> there to be correct. The pace of change is just too fast.
>
I had a suggestion offered by another responder, that I should/could
use the bug list as a teaching tool to accomplish two goals. One to
educate the students in the working of their system by searching out
the source of the reported bugs and confirming that they exist or have
been fixed, and secondly for those so inclined, to attempt to help the
maintainers by searching out the source of the bugs. As the writer
said this is a "volunteer-run distribution" and I believe that his
point was well made. We should all consider doing what we can, when
we can, to keep Debian the best distribution there is.
I am adding that to my lesson plan, for those students that can handle
it.
>
> Better that than a bunch of favorable lies ;-)
Yes, that is very true. I am also reminded that the maintainers of
Debian packages do this as a labor of love rather then for monetary
reward. My comments were in no way meant to denigrate the maintainers
or their efforts.
Many thanks for your comments. I appreciate you taking the time.
Thanks also to Andrew Sullivan for his thoughts ans suggestions.
Wayne
--
Pascal, n.:
A programming language named after a man who would turn over in
his grave if he knew about it.
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