New Launchpad Bugs Status: Opinion
Many different types of information are stored in bug reports in Launchpad.
Some are actual defects, some are feature requests, some are general issues, and so on. It is not uncommon on Launchpad to have a bug that deals with an issue that a developer cannot resolve. In Launchpad, we offer a couple of bug statuses that allow a developer to close a bug report without actually doing what is requested in the report: these are Won’t Fix and Invalid.
Often, though, there may still be a discussion. Won’t Fix and Invalid are useful for the developer, and the project, to know that they don’t need to schedule time for a fix. However, they can sometimes — rightly or wrongly — be seen as an attempt to close down to discussion.
We’ve just added a new bug status to Launchpad: Opinion. Now, this is a fairly momentous occasion; we hardly ever make changes to bug statuses because they, naturally, have a great impact on how you and others use Launchpad to track bugs. However, we feel it’s important to find a way to balance a project’s need for useful work planning with the need for intelligent and open discussion.
Opinion says: there’s a difference of opinion around this bug and people are free to continue the discussion, but the project or package maintainers need to move to other work and are considering the issue closed.
Like I said, adding a new bug status to Launchpad is a big deal. So, we’re treating Opinion as an experiment. We’ll watch how it is used over the next three months and then we’ll decide if the status is proving useful and effective at closing bugs while leaving the discussion open.
I’d love to hear your views on this new status: leave a comment here, join us on the launchpad-users mailing list or mail me directly.
Tags: front-page
July 7th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
On the one hand, this seems like a great idea for those controversial bugs. On the other hand, it may encourage people to share their opinions as bugs. Maybe, a status called “Invalid (opinion)” would be better.
July 7th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
Who can set this new status? Anyone, or only bug-control/maintainers?
July 12th, 2010 at 2:32 am
I have to agree 100%. I wish that Opinion wasn’t a closed status. Maybe Opinion/Open and Opinion/Closed. Either way, I had an immediate purpose for this. Happened to be I didn’t even know it was available yet, looked for a decent status, bam, perfect. Then I was sad when the bug wasn’t in the list anymore. It was actually a bug I thought could be wishlist but wanted more input on.
July 12th, 2010 at 3:10 am
I’m sure it will give you more freedom to change things the way a developer wants however adding a politically correct status to the bug tracker is unnecessary. Why don’t you call it by it’s true name, “ignored” (or the status we already have “invalid” [to the developer])
This is a complete waste of time development wise and for the users. A bug tracker is suppose to track bugs, don’t lead users on wasting everyone’s time. If you’re going to ignore bugs then let the users know so they can go elsewhere rather then continue to post information in a bug report that developers won’t read anyway.
How do you think a user who is spending time filing reports in an “opinion” bug is going to feel once s/he finds out the true meaning of it? Good luck ever getting them to file bugs ever again.
I’d rather you spent more time of finding ways to remind developers to look at bugs rather then to ignore them. I’ve personally filled out many relevant bug reports for Ubuntu and in experience they are either never looked at by the maintainer or left until they become irrelevant.
I’m not going to say that’s anyone’s fault because it’s not. There is simply no way of informing the correct people easily when you have no idea whose job it is to maintain it, even when the bug is filed under the correct package.
To be more constructive I’ll suggest that perhaps some display of a developer/maintainers interest/priority in the bug compared to other bugs they have marked as such. Perhaps a way to suggest developers or maintainers take a look at certain bugs. A way to make time dependent bugs a higher priority for review when they have to be done before a feature freeze for example.
Anything but yet another “ignored” status. That’s not innovative or forward thinking at all.
August 13th, 2010 at 8:11 am
Great idea!! just used it!
October 2nd, 2010 at 11:11 am
I try a opinion bub there: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/405814 because I see a problem in the bug management for this case:
> The bug was put to triaged by somebody who look relevant to do it.
> Somebody new came and put the status back to new but we don’t know if it is the same problem.
> Setting bug to Incomplete again looks sad to me because work was done on it and it was ready to be handled.
So I ask team “Opinion” by using this status ?
January 8th, 2011 at 10:34 pm
A status “Patches Welcome” would be very much apt for our project sometimes. (Also “Ignored”) Sad, but true.
February 19th, 2011 at 7:57 pm
Hi,
I think the opinion status is a good thing. However, I think an opinion should not show up as a closed bug. Perhaps it would be better to make Opinions/Ideas a section like “Bugs” and “Blueprints” because I think Launchpad would be a more appropriate place than Ubuntu brainstrom (By which I mean that the likelihood that ideas are read by the developers is higher on launchpad than on brainstrom)
February 22nd, 2011 at 4:42 am
I have to agree with MTecknology. This is a great new status which I just discovered because I wanted to seek users’ opinion on it before closing. The problem is that Opinion itself is considered to be a closed status. That’s pretty much useless — I may as well have marked Won’t Fix. Change it so it is an open status.
April 29th, 2011 at 5:53 am
Users seem to be confused by “Opinion” and putting their own bugs into that state. https://bugs.launchpad.net/launchpad/+bug/772954
July 14th, 2015 at 4:07 pm
[…] at least, that bug has now the status opinion which means the develeopers won’t fix it for now, but wait for community […]
November 7th, 2015 at 7:40 am
[…] least, that bug now has the status opinion which means the developers won’t fix it for now, but wait for community […]