[reportlab-users] encoding errors

[Andy Robinson]

> I think that ReportLab would be a lesser project with a bug tracker, 

> than without.  Currently, support is great, quality is there, and if 

> there are administration duties, at least these are not thrown at users.  

> Let's keep it that way.

> 

> Now, if internally, Andy wants to use a tracker for himself, and if this 

> is to remain his own problem, he surely is grown up enough to do so! :-)

> If he ever wants to publicize a tracker for ReportLab users, I really 

> wish he will choose something nearly transparent, and email-compatible.


Thanks François!

I should reiterate that this is not about any deep principles or even 
theories about software development - it's just about time.  Typically 
(and regrettably) we have very few hours to spend on the open source 
code each week, unless a bug is reported here or a commercial project 
needs a new feature.  I'd rather spend that limited time on code than 
sorting through issues in a tracker (or, more likely, fiddling with it 
until it works and integrates with everything else).

I see nothing wrong with saying "report bugs on the mailing list", which 
imposes less time on you and us than anything else.  Most people will do 
that anyway even if we offered a tracker.   Our paying customers will 
email us anyway.

It would be different if we had millions of users using the software 
hundreds of ways, tens of dedicated maintainers, and dozens of bugs 
every month, but we don't.  The projects Dinu mention are major pieces 
of internet infrastructure.

It's also much harder than you might think to find one readymade package 
which will support (a) open source, (b) commercial products layered on 
top, and (c) corporate solutions we maintain for customers layered on 
top of both.  Many issues arise in (c) and have impact on (b) and (a) 
which could mean maintaining issues in 3 different systems, and being 
VERY careful about the comments we type in to which.  Yuk!   If anyone 
can recommend a tracker which really works here I'll certainly take a look.


Best Regards,


Andy Robinson