[Reportbug-maint] Bug#575920: reportbug: ask for the version of the package to be reported as buggy

[Łukasz Stelmach]

Sandro Tosi <morph at debian.org> writes:

> 2010/3/30 Łukasz Stelmach <lukasz.stelmach at iem.pw.edu.pl>:
>> Package: reportbug
>> Version: 4.10.2
>> Severity: wishlist
>>
>> Yesterday I managed to fix a problem with nvidia-glx package.
>> I installed the version from the unstable repository. The I filed a
>> bug report about, as I was hoping, the older buggy version. Because
>
> and what version would that be? how can reportbug select the correct
> version? how can reportbug know the /older/ version? or you may mean
> the two-versions-ago, or any other variation.

First write your reply then maybe read what it is about?

>> reportbug generates a template with a fat sing "Please type etc." and
>> I am not too interested in details of Debian bug reporting process
>> I don't even look above that line. I should have. The bug was filed
>> against the unstable version which wasn't my intention nad got closed
>> immediatelly.
>
> if you "managed to fix a bug" in a version that's already superseded
> by the unstable one, then you should not in the first place report the
> bug. a fix that's already in unstable will (sooner or later) transit
> to testing and then to stable so "there's nothing to fix".

Such a report might make this happen sooner which might be... convenient
for other, maybe less skilled, users who (they should die and go to
hell) happen to use Debian testing. You know, even noobs sometimes use
google which quite oftne points to bugreports. How about having one with
a workaround?

>> I wish report bug explicitly asked a question
>>
>> "File the report against version X.Y.Z [Y|n]:"
>
> Since you know what version you want to file the bugs against, you can
> use the option reportbug already provides:
>
>   -V PKGVERSION, --package-version=PKGVERSION
>                         specify the version number for the package

Great option, I'd like to have yet another one. Dou you like Perl? I do.

>> In most cases users hit [Enter]. It'd be closer to other bug tracking
>> systems wher users choose on their own the version to be reported
>> as buggy.
>
> this is not an argument: using debian BTS you should stick to its
> peculiarities, like this one.

Thank gods there are people who don't alway to stick to peculiarities
and we don't need to program computers with a magnetised needle. If it's
too hard for you to name things properly I ask for a change in the
user's interface. Making the bugreporting interface comfortable is the
first step to get better reports.

> That said, I'm closing this report.
Wonderful feeling isn't it?

-- 
Miłego dnia,
Łukasz Stelmach