Impossible to report a bug about samba-tool without answering inadequate questions

[Thomas Schweikle]

Trying to report a bug about samba I am first asked about if:
*** How would you best describe your setup?
Auswahl:
  1: I am running a Windows File Server.
  2: I am connecting to a Windows File Server.
  A: Abbruch
Bitte wählen Sie (1/2/A):

What shall I answer? 1 - isn't right, 2 - isn't either. A? Bailing out because it isn't thought of other possibilities??!

I choose 1, because if all answers are wrong it seems not to matter how wrong they are! Next question:
*** Did this used to work properly with a previous release?
Was möchten Sie tun? Ihre Möglichkeiten sind:
  Y: Yes
  N: No
  A: Abbruch
Bitte wählen Sie (Y/N/A):

Wow! I do not konw if it did work or not - simply because I did not use it before! Fine. Just assume Yes and answer "Y"

Next question:
*** Which clients are failing to connect?
Auswahl:
  1: Windows
  2: Ubuntu
  3: Both
  4: Other
  A: Abbruch
Bitte wählen Sie (1/2/3/4/A):

I do not connect a client! So what?? Since I learned "A" isn't good trying "4".

*** The contents of your /etc/samba/smb.conf file may help developers diagnose your bug more quickly. However, it may contain sensitive information. Do you want to include it in your bug report?
Was möchten Sie tun? Ihre Möglichkeiten sind:
  Y: Yes
  N: No
  A: Abbruch
Bitte wählen Sie (Y/N/A):

Wow! The first question being concrete. I dislike to include this file without changing certain parts ... so 'N'.

*** The contents of your /var/log/samba/log.smbd and /var/log/samba/log.nmbd may help developers diagnose your bug more quickly. However, it may contain sensitive information. Do you want to include it in your bug report?
Was möchten Sie tun? Ihre Möglichkeiten sind:
  Y: Yes
  N: No
  A: Abbruch
Bitte wählen Sie (Y/N/A):

Same for the logs. Again 'N'.

These questions are only helpful if there are connection problems, but they are not if there are other problems like not working samba-tool commands or else.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: apport 2.14.1-0ubuntu3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-24.46-generic 3.13.9
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-24-generic x86_64
ApportLog:

ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3
Architecture: amd64
CrashReports: 640:0:106:101243:2014-04-25 09:55:06.734537444 +0200:2014-04-25 11:11:09.272081356 +0200:/var/crash/_usr_sbin_samba_dnsupdate.0.crash
Date: Mon Apr 28 12:05:46 2014
InstallationDate: Installed on 2012-12-12 (501 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-Server 12.04.1 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Release amd64 (20120817.3)
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=screen-bce
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=de_DE.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: apport
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to trusty on 2013-02-11 (440 days ago)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Travisgevans (travisgevans)]

I hit this today, and it absolutely infuriates me. Indeed, the questions have either no valid answers or ask things I could not possibly know. And I consider myself a reasonably experienced user. All I know is that I tried to apply security updates and it told me something happened. It withheld all the details until I gave up on the questions and cancelled, and the whole thing closed **without once giving me a single clue what the problem was**. I still have no idea what issue it was trying to report or whether Samba is now usable, etc.

I really hate useless messages that say “an error occurred” with no details, but refusing to give any information at all while simultaneously demanding it from the user takes the cake. I am amazed to find something so user-hostile in a bug-reporting tool. This isn't a good way to get bug reports, and it probably isn't a very good way to encourage users *not* to simply give up and permanently disable the bug reporter *and* system updates altogether!