The Debian Administrator's Handbook

The severity of a bug formally assigns a degree of gravity to the problem indicated. Effectively, not all bugs have the same importance; for instance, a typing error in a man page is not comparable to a security vulnerability in server software.

Debian uses an extended severity scale to precisely indicate the severity of a bug. Each level is defined precisely in order to facilitate the selection thereof.

→ http://www.debian.org/Bugs/Developer#severities

Additionally, numerous satisfied users of the service offered by Debian like to make a contribution of their own to the project. As not everyone has appropriate levels of expertise in programming, they choose, perhaps, to assist with the translation and review of documentation. There are language-specific mailing lists for various languages. For French, for instance, it is .

→ http://www.debian.org/intl/french/

BACK TO BASICS What are i18n and l10n?

“i18n” and “l10n” are the abbreviations for the words “internationalization” and “localization”, respectively, preserving the initial and last letter of each word, and the number of letters in the middle.

To “internationalize” a program consists of modifying it so that it can be translated (localized). This involves partially rewriting a program initially written to work in one language in order to be able to open it to all languages.

To “localize” a program consists of translating the original messages (frequently in English) to another language. For this, it must have already been internationalized.

In summary, internationalization prepares the software for translation, which is then executed by localization.

BACK TO BASICS Patch, how to send a fix

A patch is a file describing changes to be made to one or more reference files. Specifically, it will contain a list of lines to be removed or added to the code, as well as (sometimes) lines taken from the reference text, replacing the modifications in context (they allow identification of the placement of the changes if the line numbers have been changed).

The tool used for applying the modifications given in such a file is simply called patch. The tool that creates it is called diff, and is used as follows:

$ diff -u file.old file.new >file.patch

The file.patch file contains the instructions for changing the content of file.old into file.new. We can send it to someone, who can then use it to recreate file.new from the two others, like this:

$ patch -p0 file.old 

The file, file.old, is now identical to file.new.

TOOL Report a bug with reportbug

The reportbug tool facilitates sending bug reports on a Debian package. It can check to make sure the bug in question hasn't already been filed, thus prevent redundancy in the system. It reminds the user of the definitions of the severity levels, for reporting to be as accurate as possible (the developer can always fine-tune these parameters later, if needed). It helps to write a complete bug report without the user needing to know the precise syntax, by writing it and allowing the user to edit it. This report will then be sent via an e-mail server (local, by default, but reportbug can also use a remote server).

This tool first targets the development versions, only concerned with the resolution of bugs. A stable version of Debian is, in effect, written in stone, with the exception of security updates or other important updates (if, for example, a package is not working at all). A correction of a minor bug in a Debian package must, thus, wait for the next stable version.

All of these mechanisms are accentuated by user behavior. Far from being isolated, they are a true community within which numerous exchanges take place. We especially note that impressive activity on the user discussion mailing list, (Chapter 7, Solving Problems and Finding Relevant Information discusses this in greater detail).

Not only do users help themselves on technical issues that directly affect them, but they also discuss the best ways to contribute to the Debian project and help it move forward — discussions that frequently result in suggestions for improvements.

Since Debian does not expend funds on any self-promoting marketing campaigns, its users play an essential role in its diffusion, ensuring its notoriety via word-of-mouth.

This method functions quite well, since Debian fans are found at all levels of the free software community: from install parties (workshops where seasoned users assist newcomers to install the system) organized by local LUGs or “Linux User Groups”, to association booths at large tech conventions dealing with Linux, etc.