When you submit a bug report you are working in partnership with the
Mathematics Computing Consultant (Bugs Manager) to make it possible for
you to get your work done. All too often a frustrated user sends in a
report such as Printing doesn't work!
, which really doesn't give
the Bugs Manager much to work with in solving the problem. The more
useful information you can give, the faster we can find and fix the
problem. Here is a list of the kinds of information we need.
And while you are tracking down these issues there is a good chance that you will discover what is wrong, and will be able to fix it yourself, so you won't have to wait for the Bugs Manager to turn to your problem.
Often the problem is specific to one machine,
or to a class of machines. All the machines (including printers) have
names which may be found on a label on the case. A good report might say,
On host Dogbert I can't print to Aclps, but I tried Ratbert and
Catbert, and succeeded on both.
For some problem categories it really helps
the Bugs Manager to know when and where it failed. For example,
Yesterday (12-18) evening using my wireless laptop anywhere along the
76xx corridor I could connect but could not get an address. But it worked
in the grad lounge.
Key items here are the numeric date, important if
the message is worked on beyond the next day; establishing areas where it
does and doesn't work; and demonstrating that the user's laptop is capable
of connecting, i.e. that it's not a user-specific problem.
Please indicate which software is making trouble. Often this is not obvious from context and is important for tracking down the problem.
It's often important for the consultant to see the error message, not just the user's interpretation of the error. For example, consider these three reports:
I can't connect to Walnut. (Useless.)
ssh: connect to host walnut port 22: No route to host (MCG's fault)
ssh: walnut: Name or service not known (your fault)
If software works on some files but not on one particular file, you could give the filename in your bug report. Acting with your permission the Bugs Manager can inspect the file for obvious problems. Similarly on the web, if a particular URL causes an error, please specify it.
If other people can do what you cannot, or if you can do it on some machines but not others, it's important to let the Bugs Manager know. If there is some unusual circumstance that might have set off the error, please describe it.
The Bugs Manager relies on users to report problems, so they can be fixed promptly for that user and for all the other users. But we all wish that software and hardware were stable enough, and error messages were clear enough, that you could get your work done without having to submit any bug reports.
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