To: Neil Conway <neilc@samurai.com>
Cc: Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net>, josh@agliodbs.com,
	Robert Treat <xzilla@users.sourceforge.net>,
	Andrew Dunstan <andrew@dunslane.net>, pgsql-www@postgresql.org,
	pgsql-hackers@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: [HACKERS] Collaboration Tool Proposal 
In-reply-to: <8765dtjmu7.fsf@mailbox.samurai.com> 
References: <200402260912.54001.josh@agliodbs.com>
	<15111.1077835640@sss.pgh.pa.us>
	<200402261452.49385.josh@agliodbs.com>
	<200402270020.37548.peter_e@gmx.net>
	<8765dtjmu7.fsf@mailbox.samurai.com>
Comments: In-reply-to Neil Conway <neilc@samurai.com>
	message dated "Thu, 26 Feb 2004 21:08:32 -0500"
Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2004 00:25:31 -0500
Message-ID: <16841.1077859531@sss.pgh.pa.us>
From: Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>

Neil Conway <neilc@samurai.com> writes:
> Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net> writes:
>> I think we had previously decided that we will not allow a random user 
>> off the street to file bug reports into whatever system we end up 
>> using.

> Uh, why not? (And more to the point, why raise the barrier to entry on
> reporting bugs?) 

Our first try at a bug tracking system, several years ago, was open to
anybody to create entries, and we found that the signal-to-noise ratio
went to zero in no time.  Too many not-a-bugs, too many support
requests, too few actual bugs.  We went back to using the pgsql-bugs
mailing list.

It could be that in the intervening time, people have gotten used to bug
trackers because of their availability on other projects.  If so, we
might find a better grade of reports coming in.  I'm not very optimistic
about that though.

As for raising the barrier, you can presently submit bug reports to
pgsql-bugs by either mail or webform.  Most of the bug trackers I'm
aware of are webform-only.  I don't consider that a step forward,
especially since a webform isn't very conducive to making good reports
(it's hard to attach test cases, for instance).

			regards, tom lane