[Owncloud] Discussions on the ML (was: Upgraded to Owncloud 5...)

[Diederik de Haas]

On Thursday 21 March 2013 11:44:54 Frank Karlitschek wrote:
> The next thing we need is to really understand what exactly is triggering
> the problem in your setup.
> 
> So if you want to help us then please provide us with detailed information
> how your server setup looks like, which software your use, OS,DB,
> client/server, ...
> 
> Can you please provide us step by step description what you can do to
> trigger this problem staring for a vanilla ownCloud server. I don't think
> currently developers knows where this problem is.

I completely agree with this.

Which is why I find it rather strange that lately a lot of times the (only) 
response someone is getting to a question they ask on this ML is:
"Please file an issue on github"

When the cause of the issue is known, the way to trigger it is known and a way 
to reproduce it is known ... then it would be really useful if an issue was filed 
describing the problem and the steps to reproduce it.

But when someone describes a problem and/or strange thing they see on their OC 
server and concludes that with "Is someone else seeing this?" then you can be 
pretty sure he/she doesn't have the above mentioned information ready to file a 
proper bug report. 
Instead he/she is trying to figure out what's causing the issue by asking the 
community/ML whether someone else is experiencing that as well so they can 
compare 'notes' (OS, DB used, config, browser, etc) and then determine the cause 
of the issue and hopefully steps to reproduce it reliably.

But when someone describes such a 'strange thing' and get 'buzzed off' by a reply 
like "Please file an issue on github", then there will probably be only losers.
1. Developers because they get 'useless' bug reports and the list of open issues 
just keeps rising and rising ...
2. Users because their 'useless' bug report isn't getting a reaction, let alone 
a fix and the 'solution' to their ML-question is "Please file an issue on github" 
so no use in trying again, either asking the ML or filing an issue on github....

That way everybody looses.


My 0.02