[Reportbug-maint] Bug#652925: encourage use of smtphost reportbug.debian.org especially for novice users

[Stuart Prescott]

Package: reportbug
Version: 4.12.6
Severity: wishlist

Hi!

We frequently see problems in #debian where the user has tried to send a bug report with
reportbug but it has never arrived. Invariably, it's sitting in their local mail spool as they
have a minimally configured exim4 from install time. 

reportbug asks:

| Do you have a "mail transport agent" (MTA) like Exim, Postfix or SSMTP configured on this
| computer to send mail to the Internet? [Y|n|q|?]? 

well... "no idea, I guess the defaults are sane" is a pretty common answer to that. But of
course the default install doesn't give you a working smtp server like this so the user is left
high and dry. Should the default answer to that question (and also the subsequent one on whether
to use reportbug.debian.org as the submission host) be set up so that, at least in novice mode,
the user will actually end up with a working reportbug? 

Actually, I'd argue that using reportbug.debian.org is a sane default for any user, given that
if you're on a machine that is indeed configured for internet mail then the local user is likely
to know that fact so can answer accordingly. Moreover, accidentally using reportbug.debian.org
instead of your local MTA is less likely to be a problem (and is a more minor problem) than the 
other way around.

cheers
Stuart




-- System Information:
Debian Release: 6.0.3
  APT prefers stable-updates
  APT policy: (550, 'stable-updates'), (550, 'stable'), (101, 'proposed-updates'), (60, 'unstable'), (1, 'experimental')
Architecture: i386 (i686)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.38-2-686-bigmem (SMP w/4 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_GB.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_GB.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash

Versions of packages reportbug depends on:
ii  apt                    0.8.10.3+squeeze1 Advanced front-end for dpkg
ii  python                 2.6.6-3+squeeze6  interactive high-level object-orie
ii  python-reportbug       4.12.6            Python modules for interacting wit

reportbug recommends no packages.

Versions of packages reportbug suggests:
ii  debconf-utils        1.5.36.1            debconf utilities
ii  debsums              2.0.48+nmu3         tool for verification of installed
ii  dlocate              1.02                fast alternative to dpkg -L and dp
pn  emacs22-bin-common | <none>              (no description available)
ii  exim4                4.72-6+squeeze2     metapackage to ease Exim MTA (v4) 
ii  exim4-daemon-light [ 4.72-6+squeeze2     lightweight Exim MTA (v4) daemon
ii  file                 5.04-5              Determines file type using "magic"
ii  gnupg                1.4.10-4            GNU privacy guard - a free PGP rep
ii  python-gtk2          2.17.0-4            Python bindings for the GTK+ widge
pn  python-gtkspell      <none>              (no description available)
pn  python-urwid         <none>              (no description available)
pn  python-vte           <none>              (no description available)
ii  xdg-utils            1.0.2+cvs20100307-2 desktop integration utilities from

-- no debconf information