Timeline for Should a question asking for a workaround for a problem in an in-development version be closed as off-topic?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
20 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 10, 2016 at 19:53 | vote | accept | CommunityBot | ||
| Apr 25, 2016 at 12:08 | comment | added | Faheem Mitha | @Braiam Well, after one has reported the bug, one still needs a workaround. Bugs are rarely fixed instantly; it's not unusual for them not to be fixed at all. And even if they are fixed, it can take enormous amounts of time for that to happen. I've reported bugs that took a decade to fix. | |
| Mar 17, 2016 at 18:48 | comment | added | Mikkel | @Braiam People want workarounds because project maintainers don't work instantly, because some software is no longer maintained, because they are unable for various hardware/software reasons to upgrade to the latest release, and occasionally because they're too busy/lazy to write a report. You really think the last case is more common than all of the others, and that the cost/benefit mathematics work out in your favour? | |
| Mar 16, 2016 at 2:54 | comment | added | Braiam | You are not seeing the consequences: people wants workarounds because they don't want to report bugs. Period. If everyone solves their problems applying workarounds nobody will report bugs, since it is the path of least resistance. If for each thousand of questions asking for workarounds a bug is filled, I prefer continuing closing them, rather than having a thousand of workarounds and no fix for the bugs. | |
| Mar 15, 2016 at 22:36 | comment | added | terdon | @Braiam yes, that's precisely why bugs should be reported. All I'm saying is that reporting bugs is one thing and asking for workarounds is another. The two are not mutually exclusive. | |
| Mar 15, 2016 at 22:33 | comment | added | Braiam | @Azendale no, and no. terdon: That was a very exceptional case, not the rule. That bug could be found and reported by anyone, unlike most bugs asked here, which developers need several details (hardware, software, firmware, etc.) that can't be addressed without specific tools. The question I linked was more about a missing feature rather than a castratofic failure. | |
| Mar 15, 2016 at 22:25 | comment | added | terdon | @braiam and that's a very good reason to file a hug report. It is no reason not to also ask a question. | |
| Mar 15, 2016 at 22:21 | comment | added | terdon | @Azendale not to my answer please. I am a mod on U&L and we don't have any rules against bugs. As far as I'm concerned, there simply isn't any connection between whether a bug report was filed and a question being asked on the SE sites. Not to mention that many tools don't have bug tracking systems. | |
| Mar 15, 2016 at 22:19 | comment | added | Azendale | @Braiam What if we add to the current 3 criteria that their question must not be about a bug in the absence of a bug report? | |
| Mar 15, 2016 at 21:14 | comment | added | Braiam | Which is why that rule exist here, to force people to fill bug reports when they should. | |
| Mar 15, 2016 at 21:13 | comment | added | Braiam | @bodhi.zazen and terdon, a case I know of of a bug that ended as patch github.com/karelzak/util-linux/commit/…, unix.stackexchange.com/a/130779/41104. Notice that while in this case the problem was "easy", complex bugs can't be fixed by anyone but devs (or someone with too much time in their hands). If neither the OP or I submitted a patch (I would have to figure out how to send patch to the util-linux, as seems to be non-trivial), this bug would go unfixed. | |
| Mar 15, 2016 at 15:36 | comment | added | terdon | @bodhi.zazen yes, (some) devs use launchpad, which is why bug reports should be on launchpad. We all agree with that and nothing I've said here contradicts it. All I'm saying is that workarounds can also be posted as answers. Not here, because AU doesn't like that but on U&L that does. This has nothing to do with what is also posted on launchpad. | |
| Mar 15, 2016 at 15:33 | comment | added | Panther | You can post the information wherever you wish, here, there, your personal web page. The point, however, is that developers use Launchpad for bugs and thus you must use LP if you want a fix. Do what you want beyond that. | |
| Mar 15, 2016 at 15:09 | comment | added | terdon | @bodhi.zazen No, much better is file a bug report -> work around gets posted in bug report -> answer question here (or other SE site) with the workaround and the link to the bug report -> problem solved all around, developers and end users should work together. I don't understand why you would be against having information in more than one place. Also, you are assuming that the person who can offer the workaround will look at the bug report. Perhaps they won't. Especially not if it's in some Ubuntu-specific bug tracker like launchpad. | |
| Mar 15, 2016 at 15:07 | comment | added | Panther | IMO file a bug report -> work around gets posted in bug report -> close question here with a link to bug report which includes work around -> problem solved all around, developers and end users should work together. | |
| Mar 15, 2016 at 13:22 | comment | added | terdon | @bodhi.zazen I never said a bug report shouldn't be filed. That, however, as you correctly point out, is not the purpose of the SE sites. Of course a bug report should be filed, that doesn't mean that I can't also ask for a workaround on SE. AU has this thing against bugs but all the other SE sites don't. All I'm saying is that such questions are welcome on U&L even if they're not welcome here, so they can be migrated over. That has absolutely no effect on whether a bug report will be filed. | |
| Mar 15, 2016 at 13:12 | comment | added | Panther | If you simply post a bug here, or Unix & Linux, or migrate as you suggest, without filing a bug report, the developers will never be aware of the problem and never release a fix. While this may help the end user, it is a great disservice to the developers and community. See also chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html | |
| Mar 15, 2016 at 12:58 | comment | added | Panther | Keep in mind, as far as developers are concerned, if there is no bug report the problem does not exist. So while this policy may seem on the surface to help end users, IMHO it does a disservice to the community and developers. IMHO it is far better to guide end users to file quality bug reports. Workarounds and fixes, IMHO, belong in bug reports. Patches are better =). | |
| Mar 14, 2016 at 19:04 | comment | added | Jacob Vlijm | No need to say I couldn't agree more. 1 and 3 might have some overlap however as it is :) | |
| Mar 14, 2016 at 18:59 | history | answered | terdon | CC BY-SA 3.0 |