Bug discussions and feature requests

[Cory]

Reflexively TsunamiZ recent feature requests have triggered similar reaction that TerryPin had just now. But I'm conflicted on what the best policy is when it comes to discussions on potential bugs and feature requests and I was wondering how you all feel about it.

 

Before I start let me be clear that if there is bug or a feature to request they should be reported to ISS so that can track and address ASAP. IE this post assumes that if you have a feature or bug that it has or shortly will be reported. I'm not suggesting that any discussion in the forum replace reporting to ISS. OK, here I go:

 

1. Is it a bug? When MEP crashes (duh) it's a bug. But what about when a newb has their scope set wrong? To them it might appear that there's a bug when in fact the macro isn't properly defined. I think more and more that in cases like these where you are not sure it might be more efficient to post the symptoms and samples and let others in the forum help. Also having other users in other environments check to see if they have the same experience. IE get a consensus and gather more info before reporting it as well as possibly eliminating false reports by peer review. But I do think that something in the email like "I think this might be a bug, what do you guys think" would be helpful i the post to set the mood.
   
2. It is a known bug: I do not believe bug-bashing is healthy. Going on and on about how some known and documented bug sucks really doesn't help anyone. Of course ISS would want to discourage any discussion about bugs as it would taint MEPs reputation but I'm thinking there's still room on this forum for healthy discussion about bugs. EG there was a 'bug' (reverse compatibility issue) where elements weren't being cleared when one jumped into the middle with ASCII File Process. Before we got the new checkbox I'm thinking it's OK to post about the issue to make others aware of the behavior. Also folks can post with work-arounds and alternatives. Also if a member experiences this problem and searches the forum it could save them hours of hair pulling. As long as it's constructive and useful I don't see the problem.
   
3. Feature request peer review: Most new feature ideas I think would benefit from peer review. Some cases the 'feature' already exists and the user just needs an edification. Some would be crazy to think something so complex could ever be implemented. Some are just dumb or go against the spirit of the product. Many could at least be enhanced or mutated into an even better feature request from the input of others. So I'm thinking kicking around a new feature idea here in the forum is not a bad idea.
   

 

Anyway I'd love to here your comments on these ideas.