My email address is in Xorg.0.log so users email me directly for support

[Bryce Harrington]

Since the Lucid release I've noticed a increasing number of people emailing me directly for support with their X issues or with basic questions like how to report bugs. They indicate they're doing this because they saw my email address in the Xorg.0.log.

I don't really have the time to respond individually to all these support requests. Sometimes I just delete the emails without giving any response, but I feel bad doing so. Other times I give a short reply, but invariably the user wishes to engage in a lengthy conversation to get answers to a lot of basic questions (how do I attach files? how do I downgrade a package? how do I file a bug report? etc.)

In the past, the Xorg.0.log just showed "buildd@" as the contact address. Debian modified this to use the email address from the xorg-server uploader, and that's why my email address is being shown.

[Impact]
Causes users to not find the support they wish. Irritates Bryce with emailed questions from users he doesn't have time for answering.

[Development Solution]
Instead of giving out Bryce's email address, point users to the standard Ubuntu support page, http://ubuntu.com/support. This gives the user options to use answers, help.ubuntu.com, paid support, and more. This change is done in one build option string in debian/rules, no actual xorg-server code changes needed.

Committed and pushed to ubuntu-x git.

[Stable Branch]
Same as Development Solution. Debdiff attached.

[Test Case]
Start X, review your /var/log/Xorg.0.log; you'll see Bryce's email address within the top ten lines:

  Build Date: 23 April 2010 05:11:50PM
  xorg-server 2:1.7.6-2ubuntu7 (Bryce Harrington <email address hidden>)

Next ask Bryce the quantity of end user support requests he's gotten for X so far this week.
For fun, ask him if he fancies this situation. Verify the answer is 'no'.

[Regression Potential]
Pretty much none, it just changes a string in the log file. That string is specified in the build string, so if there *were* any problems (like a missing quote) it'd show up during build.

Correct behavior is easy to verify - just boot X and verify it says, "For technical support please see http://www.ubuntu.com/support".

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Debdiff for lucid-proposed

[John Dong (jdong)]

ACK from ubuntu-sru

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package xorg-server - 2:1.8.1.901-1ubuntu1

---------------
xorg-server (2:1.8.1.901-1ubuntu1) maverick; urgency=low

  [ Timo Aaltonen ]
  * Merged from Debian experimental, remaining changes:
    - rules, control:
      + Disable SELinux, libaudit-dev is not in main yet (LP 406226).
        Drop libaudit-dev from build-deps.
    - rules: Enable xcsecurity (LP 247537).
    - local/xvfb-run*: Add correct docs about error codes (LP 328205)
    - rules: Add --with-extra-module-dir to support GL alternatives.
    - control: Xvfb depends on xauth, x11-xkb-utils, recommends
      libgl1-mesa-dri. (LP 500102)
    - rules, local/64-xorg-xkb.rules: Don't use keyboard-configuration
      until it's available.
    - debian/patches:
      + 100_rethrow_signals.patch:
        When aborting, re-raise signals for apport
      + 109_fix-swcursor-crash.patch:
        Avoid dereferencing null pointer while reloading cursors during
        resume. (LP 371405)
      + 111_armel-drv-fallbacks.patch:
        Add support for armel driver fallbacks.
      + 121_only_switch_vt_when_active.diff:
        Add a check to prevent the X server from changing the VT when killing
        GDM from the console.
      + 122_xext_fix_card32_overflow_in_xauth.patch:
      + 157_check_null_modes.patch, 162_null_crtc_in_rotation.patch,
        166_nullptr_xinerama_keyrepeat.patch, 167_nullptr_xisbread.patch
        169_mipointer_nullptr_checks.patch,
        172_cwgetbackingpicture_nullptr_check.patch:
        Fix various segfaults in xserver by checking pointers for NULL
        values before dereferencing them.
      + 165_man_xorg_conf_no_device_ident.patch
        Correct man page
      + 168_glibc_trace_to_stderr.patch:
        Report abort traces to stderr instead of terminal
      + 184_virtual_devices_autodetect.patch:
        Use vesa for qemu device, which is not supported by cirrus
      + 187_edid_quirk_hp_nc8430.patch:
        Quirk for another LPL monitor (LP 380009)
      + 188_default_primary_to_first_busid.patch:
        Pick the first device and carry on (LP 459512)
      + 189_xserver_1.5.0_bg_none_root.patch:
        Create a root window with no background.
      + 190_cache-xkbcomp_output_for_fast_start_up.patch:
        Cache keyboard settings.
      + 191-Xorg-add-an-extra-module-path.patch:
        Add support for the alternatives module path.
      + 196_xvfb-fbscreeninit-handling.patch, 197_xvfb-randr.patch:
        Adds xrandr support to xvfb. (LP 516123)
      + 198_nohwaccess.patch:
        Adds a -nohwaccess argument to make X not access the hardware
        ports directly.
      + 200_randr-null.patch:
        Clarify a pointer initialization.
  * Dropped patches:
    - 106_nouveau_autodetect.patch: obsoleted by 15-nouveau.diff
    - 112_xaa-fbcomposite-fix-negative-size.patch: adopted by Debian
    - 113_quell_nouveau_aiglx.patch: obsoleted by 15-nouveau.diff
    - 115_xext_fix_cursor_ref_counting.patch: merged upstream
    - 116_fix_typos_in_swap_functions.patch: merged upstream
    - 118_xkb_fix_garbage_init.patch: merged upstream
    - 123_exa_sys_ptr_nullpointer_check.patch: merged upstream
    - 199_xfvb-help-typo.patch...

[Martin Pitt (pitti)]

Accepted xorg-server into lucid-proposed, the package will build now and be available in a few hours. Please test and give feedback here. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you in advance!

[Andreas Wenning (andreas-wenning)]

Fix confirmed. After installing the version in lucid-proposed the e-mail is replaced with a support notice; no references to a ubuntu.com e-mail could be found in the log then.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package xorg-server - 2:1.7.6-2ubuntu7.1

---------------
xorg-server (2:1.7.6-2ubuntu7.1) lucid-proposed; urgency=low

  [Bryce Harrington]
  * Add 123_exa_sys_ptr_nullpointer_check.patch: Patch from upstream to
    verify a pointer is not NULL before dereferencing it. Fixes X
    segfault in miCopyRegion which occurs while using firefox (e.g. typing
    into fields in AOL). Issue found by Jerry Lamos.
    (LP: #539772)
  * Add 19-exa-handle-pixmap-create-destroy-in-lower-layers.diff: Patch
    from Debian to fix X segfault on mouse click in xfig, when pixmaps
    are created in the course of software fallbacks.
    (LP: #553647)
  * debian/rules: Don't reference the package uploader for support; instead point
    users to the standard Ubuntu support page.
    (LP: #589811)

  [Martin Pitt]
  * debian/local/64-xorg-xkb.rules: Ignore XKBMODEL=="SKIP" and
    XKBVARIANT=="U.S. English", which happen to get into
    /etc/default/console-setup in some cases like the VMWare automatic
    installer.
    (LP: #548891)

  [ Christopher James Halse Rogers ]
  * Update 122_xext_fix_card32_overflow_in_xauth.patch to most recent version
    on patchwork tracker. This one actually fixes the crash with xauth
    generate (LP: #519049)
 -- Christopher James Halse Rogers <email address hidden> Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:56:54 +1000