Glyphobet writes "I've largely stopped reporting bugs to Ubuntu because of the condescending and dismissive attitude from their developers. Until Ubuntu's bug management culture starts to change, people like me, who can actually help make Ubuntu better, will be less and less likely to contribute."
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Member since:2005-06-29
Exactly. A promise is a promise, and a real man (or woman) does not break his promises. If you volunteer [promise] to take care of bugs, you take care of bugs - barring any unforeseen events, of course.
And no, boring bugs are not unforeseen events.
When I volunteered for OSNews (yes, we are a voluntary effort too) I promised David, OSNews' owners, I would take on the role of primary editor - including all the shite that comes with it. Does me being a volunteer mean I can ignore the more tedious tasks of OSNews? Of course not - they are part of the job and I knew that when I accepted the invitation to work here.
Edited 2008-01-18 13:25 UTC
Member since:2007-05-16
Member since:2005-07-06
Blue,
One thing that I think of is that these volunteers are likely already doing a boat-load of work... Ubuntu is certainly getting better with each release.
I doubt they could tackle all outstanding bugs, so there will certainly be bugs that hang around release after release after release as higher priority items are tackled.
Bug reporting/fixing is not a closed loop. Unless of course you guys know developers that are literally just sitting around doing nothing 
Member since:2005-08-11
"I doubt they could tackle all outstanding bugs, so there will certainly be bugs that hang around release after release after release as higher priority items are tackled."
Could you be more of an apologist? The bug tracking system is designed to help them FIX BUGS. By blaming the user or closing bugs prematurely, they are not helping anybody.
When MS acts like this, people scream, kick , bite and generally make a lot of noise. Canonical is a COMPANY, trying to make money by supporting Ubuntu. They cannot do this if they do not fix bugs. If they don't have enough developers, they should hire more, or retask the ones they have.
Member since:2005-08-07
The problem with that attitude is-- using the aumix bug as an example --many of the bugs reported can be fixed rather simply and easily. The aumix bug was simply a matter of improper compilation according the the blogger. How hard is it for a developer to simply recompile a package?
I've been using Ubuntu and testing it on my various machines since it came out, but unfortunately while it does get better in every release, it also gets buggier in every other release or so.
Much of the complaints people I've seen posting (on the Ubuntu forums, news sites, etc) seem to deal with the fact the previous release worked. Then Gutsy comes along, being shoved out the door prematurely in order to get as many new features into the LTS release as possible and breaks much of what people liked about Feisty. There's a reason why the forums were packed with people on the advent of Gutsy's release and for weeks afterwards with people complaining they were regressing to the previous release.
The biggest issue I've seen has to do with the fact things worked in one release and don't in another. There isn't any consistency across releases. And that has to change or a lot of people will start distro hopping again...
--bornagainpenguin
Member since:2006-05-12
Member since:2005-08-07
Please complete the following sentence:
If you're not part of the solution, then you're a part of the _________________
This isn't about prioritizing or picking one's battles--both very important to any project or endeavor... This is about Glyphobet (and people like him, including myself) making the decision to stop reporting bugs due to the condescending and dismissive attitude from [Ubuntu] developers. This is about sounding an alarm and warning the people in charge of the project that until Ubuntu's bug management culture starts to change, people like me, who can actually help make Ubuntu better, will be less and less likely to contribute.
I can't think of anything more relevant to an OS News site than that, particularly given Ubuntu's current status as the Linux Desktop for the non-geek Everyman looking for a Operating System alternative that won't cost them an arm and a leg.
If you dispute the previous statement, please feel free to explain the run away popularity of the Walmart gOS PC which sold out in a day in my area, which is hardly the tech capital of the world...
Thanks!
--bornagainpenguin
Member since:2005-08-11
I am not being petty, I am being honest. If I don't have time to do something, I tell people.
I don't blame the user for bugs.
I don't close tickets without trying to solve the problem.
It's not a problem if they said "We're not going to get that fixed anytime soon, we're short handed", it is a problem when they ignore bugs, close bugs prematurely, or blame the user. It's that simple.
Member since:
2005-08-11
"It is not their job. As volunteers they offer something freely and that part is the part they like working on. They have no moral obligation whatsoever to actually work on bugs.. as volunteers. None."
Uh, when you volunteer to do something, you are saying "I will do this task" so when you take responisbility for something, even if it is volunteer, you do it, or you get out of the way.