Project page says "Uses Launchpad for: Code" when it doesn't

[Matthew Paul Thomas]

<https://launchpad.net/firefox> says that Firefox "Uses Launchpad for: Code...". This is false: Firefox doesn't even use Bazaar, let alone Launchpad. The false statement is my fault, because I didn't take this unusual case into account when I designed the page.

The unusual case is that while the project doesn't use Launchpad, there are Bazaar branches of Firefox at <https://code.launchpad.net/firefox>. Most of the branches listed are actually branches of Ubuntu's Firefox package (so they would belong at <https://code.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/firefox>, once that page exists), but the mozilla.apps.1.8.0.x branch at least <https://code.launchpad.net/~asac/firefox/mozilla.apps.1.8.0.x> is a genuine branch of the upstream code.

One way of fixing this would be to change "Uses Launchpad for: Code" to "Launchpad knows of _N branches of Firefox_".

[Jonathan Lange (jml)]

The "Uses Launchpad for:" thing is controlled by the project settings. A project admin can say "Officially uses Launchpad for codehosting". Changing it to "Launchpad knows of N branches" would subvert the intent of the feature.

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

The relevant checkbox is labelled "Code for this project is published in Bazaar branches on Launchpad". Someone registering a project that doesn't belong to them upstream, for the purpose of using Launchpad to host branches of that code, might reasonably assume that they need to check that checkbox. Is there any drawback from leaving it unchecked? If so, the checkbox needs rewording.

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

I mean, if *not*, the checkbox needs rewording. (Well, probably it needs rewording either way.)

[Jonathan Lange (jml)]

The checkbox should say "officially uses Launchpad for hosting code" or something to that effect.

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

If there is no drawback for leaving the checkbox unchecked, I suggest:
* the checkbox be changed to "officially uses Launchpad for hosting its code", as you said
* the text on the project page be changed from "Uses Launchpad for:" to "Officially uses Launchpad for:"
* the project Code page be able to say "X does not officially use Launchpad for code hosting, but people have registered N branches of the project:"
* a separate bug be reported on the flag being redundant with having a mainline branch registered.

The Translations equivalent of this bug is bug 251859.

[Tim Penhey (thumper)]

From our IRC conversation

[11:38] <thumper> I don't agree with the last point
[11:38] <thumper> the flag is still valid, even if someone has said you can get trunk here
[11:39] <thumper> it may not be the official trunk
[11:39] <thumper> but could be a bzr import of trunk
[11:39] <jml> thumper: mpt & I agree with the last point.
[11:39] <thumper> how?
[11:39] <thumper> how is the flag redundant with a mainline branch registered?
[11:40] <thumper> anyone can own the project, not necessarily the actual project maintainers
[11:40] <jml> thumper: which means that anyone can set the flag.
[11:40] <thumper> jml: sure
[11:41] <thumper> jml: but a responsible person may well say "this isn't official" but you can still get it with lp:project
[11:41] <jml> thumper: perhaps. the flag still makes Launchpad harder to use for projects that want to use Launchpad.
[11:42] <thumper> how?
[11:42] <thumper> by making them click a box?
[11:42] <jml> thumper: load a page, find a box then click it.
[11:42] <thumper> it is a one time setup thing

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

The issue isn't just the difficulty of checking the checkbox (though that is a problem, since it's in Overview, while nearly everything else code-related is in Code). It's also that Launchpad can say contradictory things in a way that doesn't *seem* to be useful. I could be wrong about this -- please correct me if so!

Is it ever useful to anyone for a project to say it "uses Launchpad for: Code", but to not have a mainline branch? Will it be useful in future?

Conversely, is it ever useful to anyone for a project to suggest that it doesn't use Launchpad for code hosting, but to have a (non-imported) mainline branch? Will it be useful in future?

[Jonathan Lange (jml)]

mpt, my answer to all four of those questions is, "I don't think so". I think Tim disagrees, so I'm assigning this bug to him.

[Tim Penhey (thumper)]

I think we need to clearly define what the check box means.

There are cases where there may well be a trunk branch available through launchpad that isn't owned by vcs-imports where the project doesn't "officially" use either LP or bzr.

[Curtis Hovey (sinzui)]

The Checkbox is gone, and the page will state where the focus of development series branch is mirrored from, so I would like to say this bug is fixed. But the firefox example is not correct. The ~mozillateam are managing there own branch in Lp instead of a mirrored branch for the focus of development series. The page still implies that firefox uses Lp. I cannot see where the upstream branch is :(