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gui_kenzo
October 19th, 2011, 02:01 AM
Since I began to use Linux, I became a supporter of the open-source cause. I try to be as helpful as possible - sending error reports, bugs, suggesting features and ideas.
The problem is: I'm just a normal user. Not a programmer, not an engineer, not a web designer nor anything to do with computers. I'm just a law student - but I might as well be a accountant, biologist or musician. The important thing is that I don't have any profound knowledge on computers, like the overwhelming majority of computer users.
My question is: how can we, the normal users, help open-source projects in other ways then just doing the things that I already do?

Dave_L
October 19th, 2011, 02:10 AM
It sounds like you already do some testing.

Writing user documentation is another need. Developers generally don't like to do that.

sffvba[e0rt
October 19th, 2011, 02:11 AM
Some good suggestions can be found here (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ContributeToUbuntu).


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cariboo
October 19th, 2011, 04:07 AM
There is also a great need for translation to other languages, if you aren't a native English speaker.

wolfen69
October 19th, 2011, 05:37 AM
Bug reporting is the easiest way for the average user to contribute. And believe it or not, whining on the message boards won't get it fixed. ;)

There are actually many ways people can contribute. Bug testing, bug testing, and more bug testing. But you can contribute in many other ways, just use your imagination. Did I mention BUG TESTING? I usually test ubuntu when there is about 7 weeks to go before release. It's mature enough to use, but needs a lot more input.

8_Bit
October 19th, 2011, 06:43 AM
There are actually many ways people can contribute. Bug testing, bug testing, and more bug testing. But you can contribute in many other ways, just use your imagination. Did I mention BUG TESTING? I usually test ubuntu when there is about 7 weeks to go before release. It's mature enough to use, but needs a lot more input.


A problem I've had with that is that the bug reporting system within Ubuntu requires that you get an actual error message with your bug before reporting it. Most of the time, when I experience a crash or something, there is no error message popping up on the screen, it just crashes tee-total without so much as a whisper of what went wrong. Thus I'm stuck with knowledge of a bug but can't even submit it.

Last time this happened to me was on Kubuntu, I tried sending error report and the dang thing wouldn't let me, telling me I needed to provide more info.

lisati
October 19th, 2011, 07:04 AM
Even if you don't have an error message from the screen, you sometimes have options, such as entries from you system logs.

wolfen69
October 19th, 2011, 07:29 AM
A problem I've had with that is that the bug reporting system within Ubuntu requires that you get an actual error message with your bug before reporting it.

Just do ubuntu-bug-name_of_app and it automatically sends a report. If you're CoC.

Paqman
October 19th, 2011, 07:38 AM
A problem I've had with that is that the bug reporting system within Ubuntu requires that you get an actual error message with your bug before reporting it. Most of the time, when I experience a crash or something, there is no error message popping up on the screen, it just crashes tee-total without so much as a whisper of what went wrong. Thus I'm stuck with knowledge of a bug but can't even submit it.


If you're having crashes you can enable apport (https://wiki.kubuntu.org/Apport#How_to_enable_apport). Then next time your program crashes it will alert you and offer to automatically submit a bug report with all sorts of logged data appended. Couldn't be simpler.

Another good tactic is to try launching it from the command line, then copy the error messages generated there into your bug report.