Henrik Brix Andersen wrote:
3. Always record contributions by name
If you commit something in response to a bug report that has been filed,
always thank the user by full name (and bug number) in the ChangeLog and
commit message.
Do the above even if you already knew about the bug (i.e. you would have
committed the same fix even if the user hadn't alerted you).
This also applies for ebuild requests, ebuild submissions, and version
bump requests/submissions. Might sound pointless for 'trivial'
reports/requests but it is important to credit the user if they have
gone to the trouble of filing a bug.
I don't really get this part. Why should I give credit to someone else
for providing a fix for a bug which I already fixed myself locally?
Maybe not if you have already done the work. I was thinking more of the
scenario, upstream does a release. You are on the mailing list so you
know about the new version. You decide you'll bump it in portage tomorrow.
Overnight, someone files a request for a version bump. Maybe they attach
a new ebuild or state that the existing one needs bumping.
Even though you knew about it, I was suggesting that you credit the user
for filing the bug.
I'm not sure of the best way to handle the situation where the user
files a bug that you have already solved locally.
Why should I give credit to a user who filed a version bump request
two hours after release and more or less doubled my work in actually
performing the version bump?
I'd say doubling is a bit of an exaggeration, since it really isn't that
much work to mark a bug fixed. Not that bumping an ebuild is complicated
anyway.
The issue I am trying to approach is that the user who filed the bug is
likely to check the ChangeLog, and will be mildly upset if they are not
mentioned yet it appears that their bug report *may* have triggered the
bump.
Put another way, what is the harm of putting a name in the ChangeLog
when it may motivate that person to contribute more? The "damage" (them
filing the bug, when you didn't strictly need it) is already done, and
by showing them this kind of respect they hopefully won't repeat their
"mistake".
Credit where credit is due, of course. Ebuild submissions, well
thought-out and well-tested patches, problem analysis and similar
should of course be credited - but to credit each and every user who
just happened to be the first to file an enhancement request for
version bump? First post, anyone?
"Gentoo is like a drug"
Indeed, if enforced globally then we might end up with a situation like
that and something would need to be done. I somehow doubt that would be
the case. But people racing to contribute would also have its desirable
effects :)
4. Give the user a chance to make minor corrections
This will also double if not tripple my work-load. I understand the
motivation for this, but let's face it: developers are here for the
fun too - personally I am not here to educate end-users about minor
details which they might as well have read up on first by
themselves. I know that may sound harsh, it's not meant that way.
That is a fair point, and if you can't afford to spend the time on it
then I'm not complaining. However, there are situations where this can
*save* you time. One example that springs to mind:
http://bugs.gentoo.org/119178
- I have very little clue about jfsutils
- I suck at ebuilds
- I know of flag-o-matic's existence but had no clue how to use it
It obviously didn't take me much time to add the comments that I wrote
there, and it definitely saved me time in solving the bug, and educated
me as well.
Just my thoughts on the above. All in all a good summary/reminder
about our behavior towards end-users who are being/trying to be
helpful. Thank you for taking the time to write it up.
Thanks for the feedback. Indeed it does have some "perfect world"
implications, but I'm not suggesting this should happen every time
everywhere. I just think that more consideration in this area would make
a real difference.
On a similar note, I received a very interesting book as a birthday
present last year. It's called "How to win friends and influence people"
by Dale Carnegie and can be picked up very cheaply at any decent
bookshop. That probably indirectly influenced some of the above - highly
recommended for people interested in motivating others.
Daniel
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