[TYPO3-dev] The future of Bug Days

[Xavier Perseguers]

Hi,

> Goal of the Bug Days:
> (Note: should be defined more clearly. Is it one or more of the
> possibilities listed below?)
>
> - getting things done
> - initiation into TYPO3 development/bug fixing
> - having Core Team members available => quickens the resolution

This is a must have to sustain motivation and getting things done 
because it allows the final click to merge the tested solution.

> Real-life meetings:
>
> - deemed a good idea but how useful are they?
> - probably nice, but practical only in larger cities
> - take advantage of events, e.g. TYPO3 Camps (especially good for
> newcomers), local TUG meetings

We've experienced this with Francois and it really requires people to 
know how to work with TYPO3 Core or have a real preparation for bugs 
that do not require development skills (design problems, ...) but still, 
even for those bugs, some basic skills are required, may it be only to 
grab some patch and apply it...

> Period/Duration:
>
> - less often, but longer OR more often, but shorter
> (Note: "less but longer" might be less than once a month, but a full
> week-end, like we are currently experimenting. "More but shorter would
> be a couple of core team members getting together (virtually or
> physically) and inviting others to join them on bug fixing for an
> evening or an afternoon, with little prior notice).

Best from my point of view remains the physical meeting with motivated 
people and personally, I really enjoy ad-hoc meetings when working on 
some feature or wanting to kill some bugs together. I like the idea of 
less often but longer but it should not be a way to imprison people at 
home, it should be combined with some sort of social event.

> Preparation:
>
> - a list of bugs could be prepared so that work is more focused (could
> be a task for the Bug Manager, could be based on a discussion in the
> Core list)
> - ask companies about bugs that really affect them and maybe get them to
> sponsor the bug fix in some way (money, meeting place, etc.)

We have a possibility to vote for bugs, we could advertise a bit more...

> Problems:
>
> - routine gets boring
> - day should change so that it's not always Friday
> (Note: this points back to the period/duration issue. OTOH it could be
> also initiating a Doodle and picking a favorable date).

We don't need a "european" bug day... It could be planned and execute 
according to nearby Core team members...

> - learning and using Git/Gerrit is harder, it may have turned some
> people away (but also gained some new ones)
> (Note: this seems to be a big issue for some people, maybe we need
> better tutorials, screencasts, or whatever).

Suggestion to Francois (and idea for others): let's do next TUG event a 
special session to explain the very basics of Git / Gerrit, bug 
reporting and patch applying, oriented at non-developers.

> - Forge bug tracker is harder to find than Mantis was

Yes! Forge is good at providing a unified experience for bug reporting, 
wiki, repository for projects, ... but is so poor in comparison to 
Mantis when it comes to searching for bugs. We can hardly expect someone 
to find an existing bug or having fun showing what's open and what could 
be tested, ...

> Other suggestions:
>
> - use Big Blue Button instead of IRC (allows for "voice" too, chat is
> not lost)

Chat is not lost bug is it really needed? I like BBB because it allows 
anybody to join but it seriously lack features which are only really 
possible with native applications. For instance when I work on something 
else while having Skype open and I get a new message or more, I have an 
indicator showing how many "pending" messages are available, just as 
unread mails. I just lack it on pure Web apps. Moreover, I never was a 
fan of IRC or other "mixed-up" chat tools. I prefer conversations 
between people I know and I work with.

> - use of social media to attract more participants

Definitively!

> - find some reward system (swag, ranking, event discount, etc.)

Not only related to bug days.

> - enable Git-less people to contribute (would it be possible to download
> a patch from Gerrit?)

Yes, this is related to what I wrote before.

> - list companies that support Bug Days, by hosting a meeting or - more
> particularly - by giving the day to their developers

It may help having more people because the company would be interested 
into getting some advertisement out of it but this would be more a 
side-effect of it I'd say.

> - have "mentors" available during the day

Yes

> - have days which are really focus on a particular, restricted topic
> (e.g. Extension Manager) with the core team members the most
> knowledgeable in the area guaranteed to be available

Makes sense.

Thanks for this discussion.

-- 
Xavier Perseguers
Release Manager TYPO3 4.6

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