Revamping Bug reporting

[eisb]

I consider this a gross bug, but I didn't want it deleted for being out of place.

As a new, non-programmer user of FileZilla, I saw the "please report all bugs" on my first run and decided to comply. Unfortunately, I assume most people who think the same thing will stop short of reporting bugs and feature requests because of the insane process that stands between them and the submit button.

There were at least 11 steps involved over three separate websites/programs before I could even begin typing up my bug/feature request, and this must be changed if you want the wider community to contribute.

The steps I had to follow:

1. Search through FileZilla menus for bug reporting.
2. Find FileZilla website in "About" or web search.
3. Note no mention of bug reporting on menu; see brief mention only on introduction page.
4. Get to SourceForge, click on "Bugs".
5. Click on "Login to Submit New".
6. Click "Register".
7. Fill out form.
8. Check email for confirmation message.
9. Find FileZilla project page again.
10. Click "Bugs".
11. Click "Submit New".
12. Fill out Bug submission form.

And that doesn't even count searching through the existing requests and looking for possible matches.

Any non-programmer user without the stubborn tenacity to complete the bug request would have dropped off long before the "Register" page which would be a big enough block to turn most people off from going on.

The Bug reporting procedure NEEDS to be fixed. The ideal solution would be to have a menu within FileZilla that would bring up a bug reporting form -- such as "Report Bug" to the right of "Help" (or even under the help menu). At the very least, this menu could bring the user to the Bug Reporting page or Feature Request page on SourceForge, at which point anonymous submissions would have to be allowed (or if there's a way to have a general "Anonymous FileZilla User" account that would automatically be logged into if the page referral is from the FileZilla client itself and there is not already a SF user cookie in play on that computer).

Whatever happens, if FileZilla's community is genuinely wanting people to participate, there need to be dramatic changes.

[Tim Kosse]

Steps 5 to 12 cannot be shortened. It is vital that the bug reporter leaves a valid and confirmed contact address. And even then, a lot of bug reports get closed due to lack of additional feedback from the bug reporter. The vast majority of bug reports do not contain the necessary information in the original report and I need to request further information.

I agree that work should (and can) be done on steps 1 to 4 though. For example a "Getting help" item on the help menu that opens an instruction page would be useful.

[Tim Kosse]

First draft of a "Getting help" / "Report bug" support page:

​http://filezilla-project.org/support.php?type=client&mode=help&version=2.2.32

Will be reachable over the help menu and launching the user's browser.

[eisb]

I like how the draft page directs to the forums, possibly eliminating unnecessary posts in the bug list. There's still the register-wall with a forum, but I do understand the need for accurate contact information in order to address the bugs properly.

Would a valid email requirement or OpenID be adequate for posting on the forum (post held until a confirmation email is replied to or OpenID is authenticated, after which that email address/ID is okay for posting without reservation) instead of full-out registration?

Even if the forum register-wall is still there, I think the Help page is a good way to go. Will there be a link to bug reporting on that page, or will that just be filed by a moderator/developer after the problem is posted to the forum and recognized as a unique bug?

[Tim Kosse]

Bug report mode of said page: ​http://filezilla-project.org/support.php?mode=bugreport

Would a valid email requirementbe adequate for posting
on the forum after which that email addres is okay for
posting without reservation?

Absolutely not. Email addresses are known to the public. Using such system anybody could post using my email address in the forums. A password on the other hand is something only known to the account holder.

OpenID could work, though I'm not convinced it is as secure as traditional password based authentication. Anyhow, that would still require an account, as I want to talk to people using their name/nick and not though some ID I cannot remember. Last but not least, such a feature would have to be integrated into phpBB itself, I don't have the time nor resources to implement it on my own or to carry along some modifications.