RE: [debbugs-tracker] Processed: close 3931

[Drew Adams]

Thsnks for the feedback, Bob.

One problem is that, when a bug is closed like that, the only way (AFAICT) of
responding to the close message (as limited as it is, it is still the only
message about the closing) is to hit Reply (All).

And that's not helpful, not only for the good reasons you cite, but in
particular because the user's reply does not go into the bug-report thread.

Somehow, the user needs to know how to and think to write a response, perhaps
citing that close message, not via Reply or Reply All, but to the original bug
list AND change the subject line to reflect the original.  That is not the way
the user participates in the bug-thread dialog otherwise.

IOW, communicating bug closing using a different subject line and different cc
destinations does not help users to communicate a response concerning the
closure.

That's what I encountered, and it is no doubt why my reply went to the wrong
lists and (more importantly as far as this bug is concerned) NOT to the right
list, which is the bug thread.

Closure and the reasons for closure are part of the communication between users
and developers.  They belong to the bug thread (as well as, perhaps some control
thread - dunno).  And users should have an easy way to respond to developers
concerning the closure.  My response to this closing is a case in point: I'm
asking whether the bug was actually fixed.

Thx - Drew

> From: Bob Proulx Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2012 10:02 PM
> 
> Drew Adams wrote:
> > This bug seems to have been closed with no explanation.  At least I
> > received no other message associated with the closing, apart from
> > the equally empty of explanation "acknowledged by developer"
> > message.
> > 
> > Was this bug fixed?
> 
> I think everyone on help-debbugs would agree with you that this bug
> wasn't handled very well.  Just closing a bug without any explanation
> doesn't communicate anything.  And in the BTS documentation it
> specifically warns about using 'close' without a description.
> 
> But help-debbugs is for help about using the bug tracking system.  It
> isn't really about the bug itself or about the projects that are using
> the bug tracker.  CC'ing us here isn't really helpful.  Except that I
> guess it did pull this response from me and of course I am trying to
> be helpful.  :-)
> 
> If you would like help in using the bug tracker then all questions
> there are fair game for help-debbugs.  For example if you don't get
> satisfaction about why this bug was closed within a reasonable period
> of time and if there isn't any explanation then I think reasonable
> would be two days for me in responding to it.
> 
> If you don't think the bug is fixed then you may reopen the bug.
> Beware of bug tracker ping-pong.  Once with reason is good but after
> that it is better to take the problem to the discussion mailing list
> for the project and build concensus for the decision there.
> 
> Full documentation on the BTS and how to manage the bug system is
> available here:
> 
>   http://www.debian.org/Bugs/server-control
> 
> The debbugs.gnu.org instance is slightly different and not all of the
> features are implemented but it is pretty much the same.
> 
> HTH, Bob