NEEDINFO about NEEDINFO

[Chris Shoemaker]

On Wed, Apr 12, 2006 at 03:30:45PM -0400, Derek Atkins wrote:
> Chris Shoemaker <c.shoemaker at cox.net> writes:
> 
> >   3a) The implication is that bugs currently marked NEEDINFO need to
> > be re-evaluated for usefulness and that the bar for closing them is
> > not necessarily any lower than for UNCONFIRMED bugs.  But, in the
> > future, NEEDINFO would mean that the bug has already been deemed
> > useless without more info.
> 
> I personally use NEEDINFO for bugs that aren't necessarily useless,
> but that I don't want to continually look at because I know I'm
> waiting for more info.  For example, I may be waiting for a user to
> test a fix, but I don't want to mark the bug as CLOSED or FIXED until
> I get the verification.  Yet I don't want to keep it as NEW or
> ASSIGNED, either, because I really am waiting for information from the
> user.

Good point.  Let me amend my definition: NEEDINFO is for bugs that, in
the absence of additional info, would still be resolved anyway, either
as INCOMPLETE, INVALID, or, as Derek points out, even FIXED.

I think the usage you describe is the intended one: for bugs you don't
want to look at anymore (and don't want any other dev to have to look
at anymore).

> 
> I /do/ agree that putting a bug into NEEDINFO is an implicit contract
> to watch the bug for changes and make sure it gets re-opened or closed
> when more info arrives.  But I don't want to make NEEDINFO
> /necessarily/ imply "this bug can be closed if we get no response from
> the user".

But it certainly implies "I don't want to see this bug anymore if we
get no response from the user." which is pretty close to a resolved
state.  I don't have any problem leaving bugs in NEEDINFO indefinetly,
as long as none of the bugs in NEEDINFO are bugs I want to be seen.

BTW, if I thought I'd fixed a bug but can't verify myself, I'd either:

a) mark it FIXED and wait for either VERIFIED or REOPENED or neither.

or

b) mark it NEEDINFO and wait for more info.

Either way, it leaves the realm of bugs I want to be considered, only
to re-enter upon either REOPENED or more info.

-chris