apport-hackers team mailing list archive

[Duncan Lithgow <duncan.lithgow@xxxxxxxxx>]

** Description changed:

  Binary package hint: alacarte
  
  Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic) fresh install
  
- Scenario
- I've found an odd program which does somethinguseful but it's crashed and caused problems with another componant if my Ubuntu desktop machine. I know that the Ubuntu devs like us to use apport, but this application doesn't have apport integrated (it's from the 'universe' repository of course). So I look around for how to start apport so I can attach something useful to my bug report. Eventually I find that in 'System > Preferences > Edit Menu' I can enable a 'Report a problem...'. But as has been noted in bugs 479837, 368234 and 438847 this entry doesn't actually do anything. It doesn't even tell you that it doesn't do anything!
+ Scenario:
+ Ben has found an odd program which does something useful but it's crashed and caused problems with another componant of his freshly installed Karmic Koala Ubuntu desktop machine. He reads the forum and knows that the Ubuntu devs like us to use apport, he would, but this application doesn't have apport integrated.
  
- I've read those bug reports and uinderstand the reason for this menu
- entry being available but not doing anything, but that simply explains
- the reasons for the problem without fixing it.
+ So he looks around for how to start apport amd attach something useful
+ to the bug report. Eventually he finds that in 'System > Preferences >
+ Edit Menu' he can enable 'Report a problem...'. He does this and it
+ doesn't seem to do anything... he finds some similar bugs about this
+ entry not working so he gives up.
+ 
+ End of sob story.
+ 
+ I've read those bug reports and I do get the reason for this menu entry
+ being available but not doing anything. But that simply explains the
+ reasons for the problem without offering a solution for all the people
+ who've run into this.
  
  For now I'm reporting this bug against alacarte because having the
  option of hidden menu items would avoid this bug.
  
  A more useful solution might be for this menu entry to open and ask
  which application is causing problems, and then try and collect data
  about that application. We all know that sometimes things crash without
  being caught by apport.

-- 
menu entry 'Applications > System Tools > Report a Problem ...' doesn't work
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/483250
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upstream developers, which is a direct subscriber.

Status in “alacarte” package in Ubuntu: New

Bug description:
Binary package hint: alacarte

Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic) fresh install

Scenario:
Ben has found an odd program which does something useful but it's crashed and caused problems with another componant of his freshly installed Karmic Koala Ubuntu desktop machine. He reads the forum and knows that the Ubuntu devs like us to use apport, he would, but this application doesn't have apport integrated.

So he looks around for how to start apport amd attach something useful to the bug report. Eventually he finds that in 'System > Preferences > Edit Menu' he can enable 'Report a problem...'. He does this and it doesn't seem to do anything... he finds some similar bugs about this entry not working so he gives up.

End of sob story.

I've read those bug reports and I do get the reason for this menu entry being available but not doing anything. But that simply explains the reasons for the problem without offering a solution for all the people who've run into this.

For now I'm reporting this bug against alacarte because having the option of hidden menu items would avoid this bug.

A more useful solution might be for this menu entry to open and ask which application is causing problems, and then try and collect data about that application. We all know that sometimes things crash without being caught by apport.