Quote:
Originally Posted by nogle
It is not the user's responsibility to perform systematic testing, however, the user should not expect a fix if they fail to report the detail of how to reproduce the bug, else how can the developer find the bug to track its source...
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Having been around the average user complaining about problems for a long time, I can tell you that you cannot, as a service person, nor as a developer, expect any sort of accuracy or detail when a bug is reported. It is a wonderful thing when you get it, but by far, the usual case is indeed - it's broken - fix it. This is normal, and not the user's fault. They do not have any expertise in how computer software works, and what seems obvious and easy to report (to you), is a confused blur to them. You won't even be told the error message/number even if there was one. They usually won't even recall how they triggered the event. No it's not easy, and the main protection you have is extensive testing before and after release.
I recall many times being told - the internet is broken - fix it
Could be ANYTHING - email, browser, etc, to total connection loss. Worst thing you can to when dealing with a frustrated angry user/customer (remember the problem may have been making their experience miserable for a lengthy period) - is tell them they shouldn't complain - or tell them they need to provide a lengthy report (which they can't understand the details of) before you'll deign to fix it. That's how it is seen, in their eyes - they do not appreciate your workload and other pressures - nor should they have to.
To relate this to what happens here, I see users getting frustrated about lack of action on long standing bugs, and users finding new versions giving them more problems than they originally had. I think more tolerance is required until the situation improves for them.
Sorry for rambling...
