Re^3: Is bug report a contribution?

[Jenda]

In case of the Foo::Bar subclassing/wrappig Foo, you as the author of Foo::Bar are in a much better position to forward the blame. You can't expect users of a "::Simple" wrapper to dissect the wrapper and guess all the preconditions and assertions you, the author of the "Foo::Simple", made about the "Foo" to find out whether there's something wrong with Foo or with the way you use it. And even if the problem is inside Foo, you usually do care. Even if the only thing you can do is to close it with "problem is in Foo, it was reported a year ago already".

Regarding the other case ... if you can't be polite, don't be impolite. Just close the bug selecting "N/A" or similar reason.

[Anonymous Monk]

Regarding the other case ... if you can't be polite, don't be impolite. Just close the bug selecting "N/A" or similar reason.

Great advice, but I think its missing the don't get mad message

I've seen a few prolific authors who can't handle bug reports for things they've documented ... and the real problem isn't that they can't be polite , it is that they get mad -- once you're mad you're mad :)

you don't gotta help , you don't have to be nice, but don't get mad , there is always going to be another one more anonymous somebody on the internet who won't read the docs... and they'll just keep coming, and coming, and posting OT question, and reporting bugs in other modules, and posting spam, and again, and again, and again ... and this can feel like harassment and offend the best of folks ....

and when these "posters" receive not polite anger fueled responses -- it only results in angry impolite exchanges --- nobody profits

When you're feeling angry and rantish, write it down and do not publish for a week, or a month, just ignore it

Then come back to it a week or month later, and see how you feel about it

From personal experience, I did that a dozen or so times (write the unkind words down), and it's been a long time since I felt the need

I tried to search for this sort of ideas, and I found http://www.shlomifish.org/philosophy/psychology/hypomanias/dealing-with-hypomanias.xml, its not unlike dealing with trolls, don't let them get your goat :) just don't deal with them :)

[Corion]

I concur. From personal experience, I've added the following line to my modules:

The public support forum of this module is http://perlmonks.org/.

This has relieved me from the burden of being the only knowledgeable person to answer questions, and also has relieved me of the burden of providing polite answers. If I'm not in the mood for a polite answer, maybe somebody else sees the question and can provide the answer from the FAQ or Troubleshooting, or find out that the question is not at all about a module by me.

I also want to thank the people on this site for answering questions and generally keeping a civil tone.