[maemo-community] email address as bugtracker link for non-small projects?

[From: Uwe Kaminski]

Am 25.08.2010 13:43, schrieb Dave Neary:
> Hi,
>
> Andre Klapper wrote:
>> http://wiki.maemo.org/Packaging#Bugtracker_location states
>> "It is possible to [...] use [...] an email address."
>> No mentioning of size of project.
>
> This just means that an email address will get past the general
> packaging check.
>
>> http://wiki.maemo.org/Extras-testing/QA_Checklist#Lack_of_bug_reporting_database states "An e-mail address for small projects (wallpapers, for example) can be used".
>
> And this says that an email address should only be used for small projects.
>
>> Now which one is correct? (Plus the same topic/info with slight
>> differences spread on different pages is not cool.)
>
> I don't see any inconsistency myself. In the case of mycontacts, the
> question comes down to how many bug reports there are - if it's a
> couple, then an email address doesn't seem unappropriate. If it's a
> couple of dozen, then it probably is.
>
>> Asking for clarification because of discussion on
>> http://maemo.org/packages/package_instance/view/fremantle_extras-testing_non-free_armel/mycontacts/0.9.13-1/
>
> Understood. Thumbs down isn't a nice way to signal that it'd be better
> to use a bug tracker.
>
> IMHO, the use of an email address for bug tracking should not be a
> reason to -1 a project, but certainly maintainers should be encouraged
> to set up a better bug tracker if they have "rich functionality".

I have to disagree.

As written a few weeks ago at the testingsquad mailing list:
https://garage.maemo.org/pipermail/testingsquad-list/2010-August/000116.html

there are good reasons for bugtrackers and _against_ mail adresses:

 > Beside all technical reasons which make a reporting solution failing...
 > I never would force developers to do something or not. Even if the
 > choice of their preferred way to send bugs is something good for
 > themselves (often) but bad for reporters (email).
 >
 > But here we are talking about the _extras_ repository which _is enabled
 > by default_ on the n900 and it shouldn't be only the decision of the
 > developer what kind of reporting tool is used.
 >
 > If the developer _never_ gives a reaction on bug reports...
 >
 > 1. ...by mail reporters will send more and more reports to the address
 > without getting a feedback what is very frustrating.
 >
 > 2. ...by a tracker like the one in garage the reporter has the chance to
 > see what is already reported and a decision to report or not to report
 > could be done easily.
 >
 > Developing apps costs a lot of time and effort but reporting bugs in a
 > good way also needs a lot of time. So at least for the apps in extras
 > there should be a higher level of reporting possibility than mailing.

Even yesterday I got an email from a developer who wrote that the bug in 
his applications is already known but he does not have time to fix it 
yet. I bet I was the 5. or maybe 10. guy who was mailing him. I'm able 
to understand that people don't have time but that's why I also would 
like to see that developers understand that _I_ don't have unlimited 
time too.

As solution for this problem I would love to see a whitelist of projects 
which allow email adresses:

* themes
* background pictures
* "applications" which only put data into the users directory (e.g. more 
ringtones...)

What do you think?

-- 
Uwe Kaminski
http://internettabletblog.de