Candidate revision checkbox_0.8.2

[Marc Tardif]

checkbox (0.8.2) karmic; urgency=low

  * Fixed adding test information when reporting with apport (LP: #423798)
  * Fixed tagging bugs when reporting with apport (LP: #423799)
  * Fixed expressing package aliases for the linux package (LP: #423805)
  * Fixed detecting the disk category in devices (LP: #423864)
  * Fixed supporting apport symptoms when reporting bugs (LP: #424063)
  * Fixed gathering of dmi information for Launchpad report (LP: #424454)
  * Fixed tests using gksudo returning empty output (LP: #425284)

  [Javier Collado]
  * Fixed reporting of output in shell plugin (LP: #393894)

 -- Marc Tardif <email address hidden> Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:01:38 -0400

[Marc Tardif (cr3)]

The candidate revision for Checkbox includes a new feature which would require a Feature Freeze Exception in order to be accepted in Karmic. As per the process described on the Ubuntu wiki, here is some information to justify the benefit for this feature:

* A description of the proposed changes, with sufficient detail to estimate their potential impact on the distribution

The change consists of adding support for the concept of Apport symptoms into Checkbox for reporting bugs into Launchpad. Before, Checkbox essentially called the ubuntu-bug command. Now, Checkbox calls upon the user interface API of Apport in order to make an informed decision on reporting a bug either against a package or against a symptom.

The integration with the user interface API consists of only 70 lines of code and the decision making process of 50 more lines. This feature is completely scoped within a single plugin module, called apport_prompt.py, which minimizes impact on the overall codebase.

* A rationale for the exception, explaining the benefit of the change

The motivation for this new feature is to improve the quality of bugs reported in Launchpad by Checkbox when tests fail. This is especially relevant during the development cycle when the distribution would benefit from receiving relevant bug reports as early as possible. One way is to specifically leverage the work done by Martin Pitt by leveraging the concept of symptoms in Apport.

Thanks for taking the time to review this Feature Freeze Exception, I hope to see the distribution benefit from this change as early as possible.

[Marc Tardif (cr3)]

For completeness purposes, I have attached the output of running debuild in the root directory of the branch proposed in this bug report. I also happen to have the package built in my PPA.

[Marc Tardif (cr3)]

As for upgrades, considering this feature only affects a single plugin, there is no impact that I can think of on the upgrade process other than adding a new file under the directory /usr/share/checkbox/plugins.

[Martin Pitt (pitti)]

I eyeballed the new apport code, it looks fine. Using the symptoms will greatly help us with fixing bugs, since they are much more complete.

Checkbox is extensively used by the QA and certification teams, so regressions will turn up immediately and it's easy enough to roll back this particular feature if it doesn't work correctly.

Also, with checkbox being more like a QA tool than an end-user application, the impact on the release is low.

Approved.

[Martin Pitt (pitti)]

Sponsored Ubuntu upload.