Bug report complexity may rule out reporting.

[dech]

Since installing Debian 12 along with the confusion related to different DE's - I've had tech solving fatigue every day; during this I did seem to discover a bug in the installation iso; I'll spell it out at the bottom in case someone is familiar enough and motivated to pass it on to the Developers. A minute or so looking at the guidelines suggested it would take one or more hours to pass on the two lines of relevant info. I get that all relevant details need to be included (usually) in order to isolate the issue so maybe the setup is already minimal but nonetheless a major hurdle.

ISSUE: On a Lenovo 100S 11IBY hybrid Laptop with an Intel Atom 1.33gHz processor; 2GB of RAM; I added a Swap partition during installation; it was there but not recognized by the system; I'd previously used Peppermint OS (Debian version) and the same thing had occurred. This sort issue can be particularly vexing; ie lack of RAM may be indicated by certain problems but a non-expert would likely check the disk and discover that there is more than adequate Swap.

[bbbhltz]

It would be great if we could report bugs for other users. The reportbug package in Debian would be the best way to do it because it will send all the required system info, installed packages, etc. in a few clicks.

[Aki]

Hello,

On a Lenovo 100S 11IBY hybrid Laptop with an Intel Atom 1.33gHz processor; 2GB of RAM; I added a Swap partition during installation; it was there but not recognized by the system; I'd previously used Peppermint OS (Debian version) and the same thing had occurred.

I never had a problem configuring the swap partition during installation.

Did you successfully complete the swap partition configuration at the end?

Can you please log the installer log to /var/log/installer/syslog?

--
note:
1) please change the subject of the first message to something related to the topic; i.e. : "Swap partition configuration not recognized after installation"
2) moved to "Installation" sub-forum

[dech]

The post essentially had nothing to do with installation or Swap partitions; it was just a comment about the apparently highly complex and lengthy process involved in reporting a bug. Maybe it's much easier that it looked but that's beside the point also; the post is about how it looks. It would ideally be under a category such as "Site feedback".

[kent_dorfman766]

Considering an average Linux install will install 2400-2500 packages on your machine, and most packages have distinct support channels, I don't file bug reports anymore either. It's not worth the effort. I still get occasional emails for unresolved bug reports that I filed ten to 15 years ago. Why? because the devs didn't know how to resolve them and just left them hanging open...and I'm not keen on having to create a new account to report on every package I use.

Because of the adhoc nature of FSF license projects, some projects are good about support, but the majority...not so much. And my experience has been that the ones who are under creative commons or BSD license seem more professional in their responses/support.

YMMV

[stevepusser]

Hmmm-webcamoid's still broken in Sid, though the fix is pretty easy and I thought it had been reported...https://packages.debian.org/sid/webcamoid

[Aki]

Hello,

The post essentially had nothing to do with installation or Swap partitions; it was just a comment about the apparently highly complex and lengthy process involved in reporting a bug.

I assume that proper bug reporting is very important for the Debian project and it is the first step of a cooperative effort among Debian developers, maintainers, upstream authors and users.

Reporting a so-called "bug" requires the submitter to understand what he/she is actually dealing with (a real software malfunction caused by the software itself and not, for example, by the user or by a hardware malfunction).

The bug report should allow anyone to reproduce and confirm the bug. That's why people who are interested in making Debian better and want to help other users sometimes try to confirm technical issues with other users before filing a bug report. Mailing lists, this/other forums and probably many other resources can be useful in this respect.

I understand that it can be difficult sometime for some people, especially those with limited technical skills.

I also understand that some people who install Debian are only interested in the final result, a computer with an operating system and its applications running smoothly. I can undestand that these people feel that technical issues are not their concern.

Maybe it's much easier that it looked but that's beside the point also; the post is about how it looks. It would ideally be under a category such as "Site feedback".

According to the Debian GNU/Linux Installation Guide, this is how an installation report should be sent, if you are interested: Send us an installation report.

Considering an average Linux install will install 2400-2500 packages on your machine, and most packages have distinct support channels, I don't file bug reports anymore either. It's not worth the effort.

In general, I have found Debian developers and maintainers to be quite responsive and most of them do a good and appreciated service, considering that they volunteer for the project.

I still get occasional emails for unresolved bug reports that I filed ten to 15 years ago. Why? because the devs didn't know how to resolve them and just left them hanging open...and I'm not keen on having to create a new account to report on every package I use.

A bug unresolved for 15 years ... that's a feature of a program! Kidding aside, it probably depends on the nature of the reported event, the quality of the report (very important!), its scope, its severity, and the attitude or assessment of the upstream (non-Debian) developers to deal with the reported problem.

My 2c.