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List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: About boxes
From:       Andreas Pour <pour () mieterra ! com>
Date:       1999-04-22 18:53:42
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Stephan Kulow wrote:

[ ... ]

> > In short, the problem with links is they become dead quite easily, yet if you
> > hardcode them into an application there they are, they cannot be changed.
> >
> > Perhaps a smarter approach is to use a stable e-mail address that will be around for
> > a while, such as "applications@kde.org", and have the About box URL provide a
> > subject line (the name of the application and a note to the user not to change the
> > subject line); then on the KDE side the mail server would filter the mail and
> > forward them to the *current* maintainer of the named application.
> >
> > Perhaps at the start this sounds not so good to a developer, who is thinking, I want
> > to get my mail directly!  But, on the other hand, after you stop developing, do you
> > still want to be getting bug reports in 3 years?
> >
> Well, I don't want bug reports about a 3 years old program, no matter if
> I'm the
> active maintainer or not.
>
> But how does it look if you write "this application has been written by
> kfm@packages.kde.org"?
> I don't think that good. The mail-to address is not for bug reports, but
> for
> "great stuff - where can I transfer my money to?" mails.
>
> Bug reports should go to submit@bugs.kde.org, no matter what. We have to
> address
> this in using an URL in the about KDE box, which opens a mail with
> already
>
> To: submit@bugs.kde.org
>
> Package: kfm
> Version: ...
>
> in it, if this is possible.

So perhaps it would be a good idea to have *2* separate links in the standard kde-libs
About box (which applications would use).  One for "contact the author" and another for
"submit a bug report".  The "bug report" submission link could actually work as follows:

        (i)  the About box class would exec a bug-report cgi script, passing as
parameters the program name and version number
        (ii)  the cgi script would add host system info -- like OS, OS version, processor
type, date, etc. -- and the program name/version to a bug report submission form
        (iii) the cgi script would display the form for approval/editing/submission using
a configurable browser
        (iv)  the "Submit" button at the bottom of the form would send the form
information to "submit@bugs.kde.org".

Regards,

Andreas Pour

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