[[!comment format=mdwn
 username="http://keverets.livejournal.com/"
 ip="108.170.138.61"
 subject="Your users aren't horses, either"
 date="2013-04-24T23:42:45Z"
 content="""
I appreciate the difficulty in responding to bug reports with incomplete logs.

Please consider that the log file includes lists of email addresses (as XMPP contacts in the Presence messages) that are those of my contacts and not my own.  In addition, these bug reports seem to be posted publicly in this wiki.  As such, providing some other means of submitting logs would likely be a good idea (ideally from inside the webapp where they're being collected, so the user is less likely to miss some with a copy & paste through the browser; they should be sent to a more private destination such as an email address).

I really do not want to be bothering you with bug reports if I could gather the information I need to solve the issue myself.  That's why I suggested adding better notification in the webapp of the status of XMPP (there's just a brief \"Testing, this might take a minute\" message, and then never any indication afterwards as to the state), along with better information about the status of each repository as git annex sees them.  If it's something that's tripping me up, and I'm willing to jump through the hoops (perhaps I am a horse) of hunting down and dealing with the bug reporting system, then there are likely others who will have the same issue but just give up.

We're both left trying to sort out the problem partially blind, which is about as much fun for me as it is for you.

I see a few ways to reduce the effort on both sides going forward.  One (my preferred) is to give the users more information in the webapp as to what's going on with the sync so that the user can determine if it's the local git annex, the remote shared repository, the remote system, or the signalling in between.  Another is to provide a more private means of submitting complete log data to help get quickly to the root of the problem without greatly compromising user's (and their contacts') privacy.  And the last (my least preferred) is that you respond to bug reports in the manner above, resulting in the alienation of those who are trying to help, who are interested in what you're doing and trying to aid in improving the project so that it will be useful and pleasant-to-use for all.  In doing so I'm fairly certain you'll get many fewer bug reports.

That last one seems like less effort, but I really would prefer one of the two former solutions.
"""]]
