Ubuntu Wiki

Open Week -- Working on Bug Reports (aka Triage Class) -- Pedro Villavicencio -- Thu, May 6

EDT -5

(01:01:47 PM) pedro_: That was a great session! thanks zul and smoser ;-)
(01:02:05 PM) pedro_: Alright folks, My name is Pedro Villavicencio Garrido and I'm the guy behind the Ubuntu Desktop bugs
(01:02:36 PM) pedro_: Today i'll talk about How to work with Bug reports, either Reporting or Triaging those
(01:03:32 PM) pedro_: The bugs on Ubuntu are tracked on a BTS called Launchpad, which i think you might know already
(01:04:37 PM) pedro_: If you want to report a bug we recommend to use the 'ubuntu-bug' tool
(01:05:12 PM) pedro_: Until Lucid there was a menu item in the Help menu called "Report a problem"
(01:05:24 PM) pedro_: it was removed and now it can only be used on the development release
(01:05:39 PM) pedro_: so don't panic if you don't find it
(01:05:52 PM) pedro_: alright so how to use ubuntu-bug ?
(01:06:21 PM) pedro_: it's pretty easy, what you need is to open a terminal and type :
(01:06:44 PM) pedro_: ubuntu-bug <package name>
(01:06:54 PM) pedro_: ie: ubuntu-bug gnome-panel
(01:07:26 PM) pedro_: if you do it, you'll see a new window appearing into your desktop
(01:07:34 PM) pedro_: with some "Apport is collecting information" message
(01:07:59 PM) pedro_: and then you need to just follow the steps of the application to open the new bug report
(01:08:14 PM) pedro_: but what if you don't really know the name of the package ?
(01:08:43 PM) pedro_: you can also pass to ubuntu-bug the Process ID
(01:08:54 PM) pedro_: as: ubuntu-bug 12345
(01:09:10 PM) pedro_: and then again, the apport window will show up
(01:09:36 PM) pedro_: finding the right package name might be tricky sometimes
(01:09:53 PM) pedro_: that's why we have the  https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/FindRightPackage guide
(01:10:30 PM) pedro_: if the guide doesn't help you, you're more than welcome to stop by the #ubuntu-bugs channel and ask there
(01:10:47 PM) pedro_: there's plenty of people willing to help
(01:11:26 PM) pedro_: it's also important to describe the bug the better you can
(01:11:46 PM) pedro_: if you put as a title something like "does not work"
(01:11:50 PM) pedro_: or "i don't know"
(01:12:06 PM) pedro_: well if you don't know, we might not know either ;-)
(01:12:32 PM) pedro_: so it's really, really important to describe everything the best you can
(01:12:53 PM) pedro_: there's an amazing guide which might help you with that: http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html
(01:13:19 PM) pedro_: and it's translated to several languages and i'm sure it applies to every BTS in the world ;-)
(01:13:31 PM) pedro_: you'll make a lot of QA people happy if you follow that guide , trust me ;-)
(01:14:14 PM) pedro_: For more information on how to report bugs in Ubuntu, please use the guide located at :  https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs
(01:14:26 PM) pedro_: and again , if you have questions #ubuntu-bugs is the perfect place
(01:14:39 PM) pedro_: Ok so we have our bug filed in Ubuntu, what's next?
(01:14:48 PM) pedro_: who deal with those reports?
(01:15:05 PM) pedro_: There's a team called the Ubuntu BugSquad
(01:15:38 PM) pedro_: The BugSquad is the first point of contact for the bugs filed about Ubuntu, we keep track of them and try to make sure that major bugs do not go unnoticed by the Developers
(01:15:54 PM) pedro_: that process is called "Triage"
(01:16:26 PM) pedro_: Working with the BugSquad it's an amazing way to start helping and learn a lot about Ubuntu and it's infrastructure
(01:17:02 PM) pedro_: You do not need any programming knowledge to join the team, in fact it's a great way to return something to our Lovely Ubuntu project if you cannot program at all
(01:17:14 PM) pedro_: Our points of contacts are:
(01:17:24 PM) pedro_: #ubuntu-bugs here in Freenode
(01:17:52 PM) pedro_: our mailing list: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugsquad
(01:18:16 PM) pedro_: and of couse the lp team page https://launchpad.net/~bugsquad
(01:18:26 PM) pedro_: there's only a few requirements to join the team
(01:18:50 PM) pedro_: * Sign the Code of Conduct
(01:19:15 PM) pedro_: * Read the Triage Guide - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/HowToTriage/
(01:19:33 PM) pedro_: * Subscribe to our mailing list
(01:19:41 PM) pedro_: that's everything you need to join us
(01:20:25 PM) pedro_: Let's talk about Bug Triage
(01:21:00 PM) pedro_: The Bug Triage is an essential part of Ubuntu's development and consists in :
(01:21:25 PM) pedro_: * Respond to the New bugs as they are filed in our BTS
(01:21:56 PM) pedro_: * Ensure that New bugs have all the necessary information
(01:22:10 PM) pedro_: * Assign bugs to the proper package
(01:22:38 PM) pedro_: A *big* portion of the bugs we have to deal with are not assigned to the right package or even not assigned to any
(01:23:09 PM) pedro_: so it's really important you choose one when filing a new bug on Ubuntu
(01:23:45 PM) pedro_: to give you an idea , here's is a list of new bugs without a package: http://is.gd/bWXr8
(01:25:14 PM) pedro_: there's a lot of bugs there that need to be reassigned to the proper package, if you have time and want to help us, well consider in join the BugSquad ;-)
(01:25:41 PM) pedro_: * Confirming the reports by trying to reproduce them
(01:26:05 PM) pedro_: this is also important and please remember to not confirm your own reports
(01:26:22 PM) JFo is now known as JFo-afk
(01:27:00 PM) pedro_: if you think it's easy to reproduce, well describe the issue the best you can in the bug report itself , someone else will follow your steps and confirm it
(01:27:16 PM) pedro_: if no one does it for a few days, you're welcome to join #ubuntu-bugs and ask there
(01:27:34 PM) pedro_: we also:
(01:27:44 PM) pedro_: * Set priorities to bug reports
(01:27:57 PM) pedro_: * Search and mark bugs as duplicates
(01:28:16 PM) pedro_: * Send the bugs upstream when applicable
(01:28:35 PM) pedro_: and we have a nice guide for that here:  https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Upstream
(01:29:00 PM) pedro_: with most of the Upstream BTS out there, GNOME, Mozilla, OpenOffice, Debian, etc
(01:29:21 PM) pedro_: if you think we're missing one, please tell us, so we can create the documentation with your help
(01:30:03 PM) pedro_: we do Cross reference of bugs from others distributions
(01:30:15 PM) pedro_: and Expire the old bugs
(01:30:37 PM) pedro_: All of these activities help the bug report to get fixed and subsequently making Ubuntu even better
(01:31:14 PM) pedro_: If you have done enough Triage work, you can apply to the Ubuntu BugControl team
(01:31:26 PM) pedro_: which is the one with more rights over the reports in Ubuntu
(01:31:49 PM) pedro_: basically you can see the Private reports
(01:31:54 PM) pedro_: Change the importance of the Bugs
(01:32:11 PM) pedro_: and set a couple of status (Triaged, Won't Fix)
(01:32:31 PM) pedro_: the requirements to join the team are available at : https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuBugControl
(01:32:50 PM) pedro_: and the launchpad team page is: https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-bugcontrol
(01:33:34 PM) pedro_: We encourage everyone who wants to join the Ubuntu BugSquad team to also join our BugSquad Mentoring Program
(01:34:13 PM) pedro_: which is the perfect to make your way trough the Triage world and it will help you to join the Ubuntu BugControl team in a more prepared fashion
(01:34:41 PM) pedro_: instructions on how to join? : https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BugSquad/Mentors
(01:35:02 PM) ClassBot: optix asked: Can someone become an Ubuntu member by doing Triage work?
(01:36:16 PM) pedro_: optix, to answer your question... YES! , several of our members are Ubuntu Members and they 'win' the privilege of becoming one by also doing lot of Triage work
(01:37:04 PM) ClassBot: Pendulum asked: How much time commitment does the bug squad require?
(01:38:44 PM) pedro_: Pendulum, I'd say between 15 and 20 minutes per day is enough to start
(01:39:44 PM) pedro_: Pendulum, if you join the Mentoring Program you can set up a schedule with your Mentor and discuss how much time you can spend on the triage work
(01:40:11 PM) pedro_: Pendulum, we care more about quality of work rather than volume ;-)
(01:40:41 PM) pedro_: we do prefer someone who triages 1 bug in a good way, rather than someone doing crazy things on 50 :-P
(01:41:12 PM) ClassBot: mistrynitesh asked: Sometimes it so happens that being technically challenged, I do basic work like finding right package, requesting more information for incomplete reports etc. but can't proceed much ahead. What do you suggest should I do in these cases so that the bug gets triaged?
(01:41:49 PM) pedro_: the next step is to talk to the Maintainers/Developers of that package/program
(01:42:19 PM) pedro_: it's all about communication, raise the issue with the developers and for sure they're going to look over that problem
(01:42:51 PM) pedro_: Let's talk briefly about Bug Status
(01:43:16 PM) pedro_: since you're able to change some of them without any special rights
(01:43:37 PM) pedro_: We currently have 9 status, they are: New, Incomplete, Invalid, Confirmed, Triaged, In Progress, Fix Committed, Fix Released and Won't Fix.
(01:44:05 PM) pedro_: New status means that no one has triaged or confirmed the report.
(01:44:14 PM) pedro_: don't mix it with the meaning on Bugzilla
(01:44:33 PM) pedro_: The Incomplete status means that the bug is missing some information
(01:44:38 PM) pedro_: like the steps to reproduce the bug
(01:44:55 PM) pedro_: The Invalid  status should be used when the bug report does not contain adequate information to determine whether or not it is a bug even if it is resolved for the reporter. Be careful when you set this status, when a bug has the invalid status it will no longer show up in default searches.
(01:45:17 PM) pedro_: Confirmed  status is almost self explanatory; someone other than the reporter has experienced the same bug.
(01:45:24 PM) pedro_: (remember to not confirm your own reports)
(01:45:56 PM) pedro_: The Triaged status is set by a member of the Ubuntu Bug Control team when they think that the bug has enough information for a developer to start working on fixing the issue
(01:46:10 PM) pedro_: f a bug was marked as Triaged and a Developer has started working on fixing the bug, that report needs to be marked as In Progress
(01:46:50 PM) pedro_: this status sometimes creates confussion
(01:46:59 PM) pedro_: In Progress is not the same as Incomplete
(01:47:19 PM) pedro_: We've seen some people changing the status to In Progress when they are asked for more information
(01:47:46 PM) pedro_: as in "I'm searching for the files in my desktop so I'm going to set this to In Progress while i'm doing that"
(01:48:02 PM) pedro_: no no, that's a mistake do not do that, the status should remain as Incomplete
(01:48:18 PM) pedro_: If a developer has committed a fix to a bzr branch or to another repository the report needs to be marked as Fix Committed
(01:48:55 PM) pedro_: And when that amazing Fix is released (available on an official Ubuntu repository) the status of that bug reports needs to be changed to Fix Released
(01:49:24 PM) pedro_: There's also Importances in the Reports, basically the importance of the bug signifies the priority that it should be given by people fixing bugs
(01:49:55 PM) pedro_: we don't have enough time to explain those though, but the documentation is here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Importance
(01:50:16 PM) ClassBot: bdrung_ asked: An upstream developer is doing triaging work in Ubuntu, but he can't set all statuses and see private bugs. What should he do to archive these rights? should he join the bugsquad for just one package?
(01:50:43 PM) pedro_: nice question!
(01:52:13 PM) pedro_: they need to join the Ubuntu BugControl team, the Upstream developers are really important to us, so if you're an upstream developers and you don't have the rights to look are you bugs in Launchpad just ping any of the Ubuntu BugControl admins either by IRC or email and we'll add you to the team
(01:53:12 PM) pedro_: did you ever hear about The Ubuntu Bug Day?
(01:53:34 PM) pedro_: Once a week the BugSquad organize an event called "Ubuntu Bug Day" or Hug day (Triage a bug win a hug!)
(01:53:50 PM) pedro_: The idea of a hug day is to work together with the BugSquad and project maintainers to focus our collective effort on a specific task
(01:54:06 PM) pedro_: Bug days are perfect to start working on the Bugsquad and giving back some love to your lovely Ubuntu project
(01:54:23 PM) pedro_: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuBugDay/
(01:54:37 PM) pedro_: we do have a lot of people contributing to those, let me show you some stats
(01:54:43 PM) pedro_: on 2009:
(01:54:53 PM) pedro_: 3262 bugs were triaged during bug days
(01:55:02 PM) pedro_: 37 bug days were organized
(01:55:11 PM) pedro_: 119 contributors participated on bug days
(01:55:37 PM) pedro_: if you want to do some bug work but don't know where to focus, well bug days are perfect for that ;-)
(01:56:24 PM) ClassBot: mistrynitesh asked: When the bug is fixed in upstream, what should it be marked as?
(01:57:24 PM) pedro_: the task should remain as Triaged but we do treat those as an special case on the desktop bugs
(01:57:45 PM) pedro_: setting those as Fix Committed until we find a better way to deal with the upstream status in Launchpad
(01:58:08 PM) pedro_: the problem is that there's no way to easy see in the launchpad bug list which bug is fixed or not upstream
(01:58:23 PM) pedro_: that's something we'd like to discuss at UDS with the launchpad team though ;-)
(01:58:29 PM) pedro_: you're all welcome to join us
(01:59:57 PM) pedro_: ok that's all from here folks, again if you have a question #ubuntu-bugs and our mailing list are the best for those . Thanks for attending!