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Ubuntu bug tracking - registration-required and non-free software
Ubuntu bug tracking - registration-required and non-free software
Posted Feb 28, 2008 23:10 UTC (Thu) by bignose (subscriber, #40)Parent article: A brief look at some distribution news
> Ubuntu wants all users to be involved with bug squashing. If that were true, they would allow access to the bug tracker without requiring registration. Just as the Debian BTS does. I'd love to modify their bug tracker to allow this, but they've chosen to keep it non-free software. While those two facts remain, Ubuntu is not as interested in community participation for bug tracking as the above statement would claim.
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Ubuntu bug tracking - registration-required and non-free software
Posted Feb 29, 2008 2:01 UTC (Fri) by tseaver (subscriber, #1544) [Link]
The two issues you bring up are separate: - anonymous submission of bugreoprts: I'm not sure that I agree that getting anonymous reports actually helps the project, because there is no way to ask an anonymous user for further information, or to confirm that a given change actually fixed the reported bug. I know that on projects I work on, I triage anonymous reports lower than those which come from a "real person". - modifying Launchpad: even if the software were open, you wouldn't be able to modify the copy running at launchpad.net without persuading the folks running launchpad that your changes were beneficial; you would only be able to set up a separate site running with your patches applied.
Ubuntu bug tracking - registration-required and non-free software
Posted Feb 29, 2008 2:20 UTC (Fri) by bignose (subscriber, #40) [Link]
> The two issues you bring up are separate: Yes, separate but related. That's why I put them in the post as separate paragraphs. > I'm not sure that I agree that getting anonymous reports actually helps the project A good thing that's not what I'm advocating then. I'm pointing out that requiring registration is a significant barrier to the implied goal of "Ubuntu wants all users to be involved with bug squashing." Removing registration does *not* mean "getting anonymous bug reports helps the project". Consider e.g. the Debian bug tracker, which requires no registration, yet has plenty of communication with bug submitters. > even if the software were open, you wouldn't be able to modify the copy running at launchpad.net Again, that's orthogonal to the point. If the bug tracker program were published free software (again, like the Debian bug tracker, which is published as the 'debbugs' package), it's at least *feasible* for an outsider to present a patch that implements a desired change in behaviour. There's nothing compelling them to implement a given patch, but publishing the tool as a maintained free software package would at least demonstrate they were open to the possibility. By implementing their bug tracker as non-free software, they give the lie to the idea that they want community involvement in the bug tracking process, because the tools used are an essential part of that process.