[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: LDP bug-tracker
- To:
- Subject: Re: LDP bug-tracker
- From: (David Lawyer)
- Date: Fri, 17 Sep 1999 00:36:03 -0700
- Reply-To:
- Resent-Cc: recipient list not shown: ;
- Resent-Date: 17 Sep 1999 07:36:17 -0000
- Resent-From:
- Resent-Message-ID: <KeLit.A.PGH.x9e43@murphy>
- Resent-Sender:
Why do we need a bug-tracker? It's nice to do this for software but for
documents I'm not so sure. For software, a bug keeps some people (or
everyone) from using it. For docs this is seldom the case. For typos
and bad grammar one may usually figure out what was meant. If there's an
error, someone can post the correct info on a newsgroup. Thus there may
be a group of people who want to check a bug-tracking system to see if
a program is fixed so they can use it. What people will be doing the
same for documents?
A bug tracking system generally requires that the author post a message
stating the "bug" was fixed. This may be a lot of unnecessary bother,
especially if all that was fixed was a typo or two. I think that the
best system is for the author (or maintainer) to have a "mailto" url link
at the start of the howto. Then anyone who finds an error or has
suggestions just clicks on it (if they are using a HTML browser) to
contact the author.
With a bug-tracking system, this one-on-one interchange would not be
private anymore. For software bugs it's often desirable to have a number
of people listening in since they may be able to figure out the cause of
the bug (or report other symptoms) and help fix it. This is seldom the case
with docs.
I think that since some documentation may be urgently needed, it's best to
release it early before checking it over much. If defects in documents
are to be publicized, people might be less inclined to write howtos (and
also less inclined to release it when they should). Someone that wanted
to critize an author could gather a lot of ammunition if a bug tracking
system existed.
What may be needed is someone that a reader can contact if he get's no
response from the author/maintainer within a resonable amount of time.
Thus I don't think we should be looking into any bug-tracking system.
There are much more important things to do.
David Lawyer
--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to ldp-discuss-request@lists.debian.org
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org