Kernel bugs: out of control?

Posted May 11, 2006 13:50 UTC (Thu) by iabervon (subscriber, #722)
Parent article: Kernel bugs: out of control?

I think the main issue is that kernel developers are relatively rarely put in direct contact with people who are seeing bugs. From my reading of the mailing list, people who report bugs there tend to get a bunch of attention and a resolution. Bugs reported in tracking software tend not to generate discussion. I think that kernel developers are generally interested in fixing bugs and solving people's problems, but they aren't so excited that they'll search databases, track down users who reported issues, and open a dialogue with them. There's a certain reward to making somebody happy, and this can be a good motivation for fixing bugs, but it depends on having contact with an actual individual with a problem who would be happy if you fixed it.