Re: [boost] Reference to SF tracker is important

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-07-12 11:53:36

Andrey Melnikov <melnikov_at_[hidden]> writes:

> David Abrahams wrote:
>> Andrey Melnikov <melnikov_at_[hidden]> writes:
>> 
>> 
>>>I think boost should have a global TODO list. Posts in mailllists are 
>>>easy to forget and hard to find.
>> 
>> 
>> http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=7586
>> 
>
> Above in the thread you wrote:
>
>  > Yeah, I wanted to use that, but the documentation seemed incomplete.
>  > I reported it (http://lists.boost.org/MailArchives/boost/msg71490.php)
>
> You didn't reference a tracker item. This means that the tracker isn't 
> always used and that it isn't very effective.

Agreed.

> It isn't referenced on the home page. 

Sure it is.  "Request Support" in the left-hand column.  It probably
could be more prominent, and more routes to the tracker should be
better emphasized, e.g. through the "Report Bugs" and "Suggest
Features"  links.  Those two pages tend to discourage using the
tracker, but now that tracker entries get automatically sent to the
lists, I'd say we should explicitly encourage it and discourage
sending these reports to the lists.

> A lot of people who know that such tracker exists on Sourrceforge
> won't use it because some SF projects doesn't use the tracker.

I think mostly it doesn't get used because it's inconvenient for the
bug reporter, and because the mailing list tends to work most of the
time.

> If the tracker is actively used (and from SF page it seems so), it
> should be referenced in participation/contribution sections along
> with mail lists. 

Can you post suggested patches to the CVS version of the site?

> A lot of people will prefer anonymous web form over the need to
> subscribe to a moderated mail list in order to report a bug or post
> a suggestion.

Well, that's a problem too.  People often leave off their SF userid or
other identifying information, so when we follow up to the tracker
items we have no idea whether the reporter sees the reply.

-- 
Dave Abrahams
Boost Consulting
www.boost-consulting.com