[GRASS5] Dealing with old bug reports: new GRASS 6 bugtracker?

[Helena Mitasova]

Hamish wrote:
>>just a comment on how to deal with old bug reports in our
>>bugtracker:
>>
>>In the QGIS project old reports are automatically closed if
>>the reporter doesn't answer a comment in n days:
> 
> 
> The bug doesn't go away even if the the person does.

I agree - please do not close old unresolved bug reports (especially not 
after 45 days). There are a few important bugs that won't get fixed 
within the next 45 days for sure - they are just too complex to resolve 
quickly (e.g. v.in.ascii). Also, while fixing some old bugs I have 
submitted some new ones that were in the code for years and were 
forgotten (such as the 3D distance in r.flow) - bug tracker allows me to 
keep track of these old bugs and I can go back to them when I have more 
time but I certainly cannot promise to do it in 45 days or any n-days.
> 
> We can do this for "GRASS doesn't install on my PC, why not?" style
> reports, but I don't think we should do it for segfault-like or wish
> requests.
> 
> 
>>In summary: The 452 bug reports do NOT reflect the current that of
>>GRASS 6. It's simply misleading. 
>>
>>Other suggestion: We set up a separate bugtracker for GRASS 6.

Please do that - I spent two days trying to help clean bugtracker
just recently and it was indeed a frustrating experience.
Setting up separate bugtracker for GRASS6 should solve half of the 
problems and if Maciek does a good job in sorting out the real bugs
from complaints and users problems and tracing the status of important 
bugs with people who have
the expertise to fix them we should be in a pretty good shape.

Helena


> 
> 
> I like this idea. Just as the GRASS 5 -> GRASS 6 transistion, only items
> with a sponsor get migrated.
> 
> I would not like to have old non-fixed bugs get tagged with the same
> "Resolved" label as fixed bugs. The bug tracker may contain details
> which might be useful for a user who has found a 5.4 v.digit bug. I know
> the debain bug reports are often reassuring that the error wasn't my
> fault, even if it is old and unfixed.
> 
> 
> A lot of the bugs may be 2+ years old, but a lot of the raster modules
> haven't been modified in that long either!
> 
> The bug tracker is not a PR tool.
> 
> 
> I don't mean to be against the plans, just when the cleanup happens do
> it with care..
> 
> 
> 
> Hamish
> 
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