[Python-Dev] Triage of old tracker bugs: Any use?

[Brett Cannon]

On 8/28/07, Sean Reifschneider <jafo at tummy.com> wrote:
> I've taken the week off and I'm trying to do something useful for Python in
> some of my time.  I've basically been looking through the entries sorted by
> priority and least recent activity.
>
> Some items I've been able to do something with (like the "immediate"
> priority %formatting bug #1467929, and the "high" priority bz2 module bug
> #1597011).  Others I've been just kind of prodding people to take some
> action on, just kind of getting them in front of people again.  Keeping
> them "fresh" instead of just letting them stagnate...
>
> I kind of figure that something that's in "high" priority, that has been
> sitting there for 46 months, either needs to have some activity on it
> or should be pushed to a lower priority.
>
> I've also been tempted to try to triage some of the bugs without assigned
> priorities, guessing a priority, that sort of thing.
>
> Is doing this sort of triage or administration work useful?  Any
> recommendations on what you'd like to have happen in this sort of task?

I think closing off old bugs is helpful.  We have 1281 bugs open right
now and that is not great.  Getting that number down would be useful.
If an old bug needs a test, then write the test.  If it is no longer
valid, just close it.  And if it needs more info and prodding from
somone, set the status as "Pending" so that if someone who reported it
is not bothering to update the info it can be easily closed off if
that reply never happens.

I would say assigning bugs to the right person is a good thing in
hopes of prodding someone into action, but that doesn't always work.

One thing, Sean, while you are doing all of this (and thanks for
that!) is to be thinking about ways to possibly change the workflow
for issues (and this goes for anyone else using the new tracker).  At
some point we should have a discussion about how we want to change how
things are handled so that we are happy with it and not trying to
match how SF did things.

-Brett