Re: Bug reporting proceedure, was Re: Bug#24066: libc6: rsh segfaults as , a result of new libc 2.0.7r2
Larry Walewski wrote:
>
> I think your ideas are great. I too am a newbie to Linux. First tried installing
> Caldera's OpenLinux Lite, but couldn't get it to work on my machine with
> only 5 megs (probably could've with a little more work). Someone then
> pointed me, thankfully, to Debian! So, I got Dale's book and I'm up and
> running. Got LOTS of reading to do, but I'm up. And since this thread
> is involving Dale, he can add this info right into the update of his book,
> which would have been nice to have had in mine.
>
> Larry
>
> >
> > Here is my two cents worth as a novice user:
> >
> > First, lets get the above information put in a place where new novice
> > users
> > can't miss. In other words put it right under their nose. At the end of
> > the install procedure of future Debs, have the tail end of the install
> > script (before they are taken to dselect?) point them to a few critical
> > plain text files *already on the system* (put them in the base system) in a
> > /usr/doc/dir location. Consider making everyone page thru this info (in the
> > install script) before 'letting them go'. Make them plain text so you don't
> > force a tender newbie to have to figure out how to use latex/tex/whatever.
> > This file(s) should do the following things:
> >
> > a) Tell them of the existence not only of www.debian.org but this user
> > mailing list as well. Don't assume every person is going to come to
> > www.debian.org right off the bat on their own initiative, discover the
> > mailing lists (and figure out how to sign themselves up), plus discover the
> > bug reporting system. They may not get a browser set up for awhile, so let
> > them know *before-hand* what is expected. Otherwise, when they do get their
> > ppp/mail/browser working, if they ran into a problem, they might blunder
> > right in to submitting a bug or wasting bandwidth on the mailing list when
> > they should have done something else. They need to know about this
> > important source of information (www.debian.org) from the very beginning.
> >
> > b) Explain how to submit a bug including the concerns mentioned above.
> > A
> > very, VERY helpful option would be to provide an http-based (via
> > www.debian.org) automated procedure to fill out a bug report. This
> > procedure would include a check of previous bug reports, so the user can see
> > whether his problem has already been reported. I know setting up something
> > like this is a non-trivial operation - so take my suggestion here as an item
> > for the "wish-list". Don't simply tell them to use the bug package. The
> > bug package is not useful to everyone, because it assumes everyone has
> > installed a standard mail system, which will increasingly not be the case.
> > A lazy novice user (refugee from DOS/Win world) like me will prefer to just
> > use NS Communicator (or future equivalent) which does www/mail/news without
> > the difficulty of install and configuring the arcane
> > smail/fetchmail/mutt/inews/inewsinn combination (plus God knows what else is
> > required).
> >
> > c) Other locations on the net where they can get info and support (when
> > Deb
> > starts using GNOME, for example, we can point them to gnome.org).
> >
> > I don't know of polite way to say this, but a little hand-holding at the
> > very beginning will save you maintainers some grief later on down the road.
> >
> > The current bug reporting procedure is already complicated; look at how
> > long http://www.debian.org/Bugs/Reporting.html is already. We need to find
> > a way to make it simpler, not add more to it.
> >
> > Feel free to flame away! :-)
> >
> >
> > --
> > Ed
> >
> >
Thanx Larry, part of what prompted me to say this was my first experience
with Deb back in the .9x days. I still think the install sequence ends in a
rather 'jarring' fashion, leaving the user to sink or swim. With a little
forethought that shouldn't be the case.
--
Ed
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