Re: All those useless bugs in the TeX Live packages

[frank@kuesterei.ch (Frank Küster)]

Norbert Preining <preining@debian.org> writes:

> Hi everyone,
>
> thanks Julian for the answer.
>
> On Fr, 24 Mai 2013, Norbert Preining wrote:
>> I am very much tempted to close *ALL* bugs that are not related
>> to packaging, but to upupstream bugs (like package foorbar does
>> not support xyz, that command does not work in this context, etc).
>
> Here is a list of what I consider closing.
>
> Reasons for closing are:
> * upupstream bugs (so not TeX Live but the original author)
>   example: package foobar does not do this or that
>   example: package foo and package bar don't work together
>   how to proceed: please contact the original author, or one
>     of the support channels like tex.stackexchange.com, comp.text.tex
>     or your local TeX guru

Sounds sensible, however there is a caveat regarding future bugs: this
kind might turn out as a missing Dependency in the TeXLive
(i.e. upstream) structure.  Therefore I wouldn't close such (future)
bugs, in the first reply, but give them some attention.  If the
answer(s) reveal that it's just an upstream bug, or there is no answer,
close after some days.

> * descriptions, typos etc
>   example: typo in the description of pcakge foo
>   howto proceed: report to upupstream author to fix it in the next
>     upload of the package to CTAN. And/or contact CTAN maintainers
>
> * very old and probably fixed
>   example: please or that
>   how to proceed: verify that it is fixed, and if not, reopen the bug

Very sensible.  Bugs that will never see any action on our side don't
make sense to be kept open. 

Just one note, though: My involvement with Debian and (back then) teTeX
packaging began when I

- used TeX extensively and reported bugs to the BTS

- noticed that nobody answered them and I started forwarding my own and
  then other people's bugs to upstream

Only later was I involved in packaging.  So just this type of bugs may
also be an easy task for newcomers.  If we close them now, this is okay,
but we should advertise that this is not the typical Debian way (it
isn't), and that we welcome people to deal with them.

Regards, Frank