141–150 of 267 posts
A good trick for removing unintelligent content from google search results on any general computing issue is to prefix the search terms with "linux". And I'm a Mac user :)
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I can recommend https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html
It's interesting to compare that guide "How to report bugs effectively with ESR's "How to ask questions the smart way" [1]. They both cover similar material, but the styles are extremely different. The latter is rather hostile to the reader: "If ... then you are one of the idiots we are talking about." "If you decide to come to us for help, you don't want to be one of the losers." It's also heavy on "us vs them", how…
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It's interesting to compare that guide "How to report bugs effectively with ESR's "How to ask questions the smart way" [1]. They both cover similar material, but the styles are extremely different. The latter is rather hostile to the reader: "If ... then you are one of the idiots we are talking about." "If you decide to come to us for help, you don't want to be one of the losers." It's also heavy on "us vs them", how…
I agree, that "how to ask questions the smart way" article always left a bad taste in my mouth. Perhaps there should be a "how to answer questions" companion piece.
Notably, of those bug reports, fewer than 1% (only 3 bugs) were specific to the Linux version of the game. That is, over 99% of the bugs reported by Linux gamers also affected players in other platforms. Moreover (quoting from the OP): > The report quality [from Linux users] is stellar. I mean we have all seen bug reports like: “it crashes for me after a few hours”. Do you know what a developer can do with such a rep…
Are there any good articles on writing helpful bug reports? Whenever I submit a bug I try to give as much detail and be as specific as possible but I always imagine some dev somewhere reading it rolling their eyes at the unnecessary paragraphs I’ve submitted.
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Conversely I think you should generally write the smallest amount of text you can. It maximizes the chance someone else will actually read it.
I sometimes try to follow the journalistic reporting way of writing. (Not the clickbait style mind you.) So I start it off with a few brief paragraphs of text explaining what I did, what happened and what I expected to happen. Each paragraph only a couple of sentences long. Then below that I fill in with more details. Of course this still means that if you glance at it you still see a lot of text and may not bother r…
1. config and versions
2. the bug (failure to see expected results
3. how to reproduce in as simple terms as possible
4. any data such as screen shots, core dumps, logs, etc
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Are there any good articles on writing helpful bug reports? Whenever I submit a bug I try to give as much detail and be as specific as possible but I always imagine some dev somewhere reading it rolling their eyes at the unnecessary paragraphs I’ve submitted.
Use this template: 1. When I do this 2. Here is what I expect to happen 3. But instead, this happens
Get a good set of steps for reproducing the problem, but wander a little off those steps to see what is actually necessary. I've been surprised more than once when something that I thought was incredibly complex only required a few steps. And also been surprised when a complex repro was actually complex (e.g., if I drag quickly it works, but if I drag slowly it doesn't? what?).
Notably, of those bug reports, fewer than 1% (only 3 bugs) were specific to the Linux version of the game. That is, over 99% of the bugs reported by Linux gamers also affected players in other platforms. Moreover (quoting from the OP): > The report quality [from Linux users] is stellar. I mean we have all seen bug reports like: “it crashes for me after a few hours”. Do you know what a developer can do with such a rep…
I’ve often thought that game developers, esp indy studios, would benefit from doing first beta releases on Linux exclusively - wringing out a bunch of bugs, then doing a wider release.
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Conclusion: want good testing and bug reports of your game? Support linux.
Possibly, but how many of the bugs are rare edge cases (i.e., attempting to break the game) versus problems players actually face in normal gameplay? Without knowing what priority or severity these bugs take, it is difficult to say how useful the increased volume of feedback is.
Notably, of those bug reports, fewer than 1% (only 3 bugs) were specific to the Linux version of the game. That is, over 99% of the bugs reported by Linux gamers also affected players in other platforms. Moreover (quoting from the OP): > The report quality [from Linux users] is stellar. I mean we have all seen bug reports like: “it crashes for me after a few hours”. Do you know what a developer can do with such a rep…
I’ve often thought that game developers, esp indy studios, would benefit from doing first beta releases on Linux exclusively - wringing out a bunch of bugs, then doing a wider release.
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Indeed, although my kneejerk reaction to the subject line was to expect another sad article about how it's not worth it to support Linux, this author seems very happy with the decision to do so. > Worth it? Oh, yes - at least for me. Not for the extra sales - although it’s nice. It’s worth it to get the massive feedback boost and free, hundred-people strong QA team on your side. An invaluable asset for an independent…
Maybe there's a better term to throw at this. "Even though just 5.8% of userbase, Linux users contribute 55% of helpful QA feedback"
Same people also have a better idea of what might be causing the bug, how to get more information, logs, and so on.