A new way to propose blocker and freezeException bugs

Tim Flink |

Now that the blocker tracking app has moved onto production Fedora infrastructure, we have a new way to propose blocker and freezeException bugs for Fedora releases under development.

The Old Way

Before now, the only ways to get a bug proposed as a blocker or freezeException were to know how to modify the bug in question (add the appropriate tracker and supposed to add a justification for the proposal and hopefully a release criteria violation in the case of a proposed blocker) or to find someone who knew the process and ask them to propose the bug for you.

While this process wasn't the worst thing that anyone's ever come up with, it still leaves much to be desired. It wasn't easy to figure out on your own and unless you deal with the process on a regular basis, it's pretty easy to forget some of the details.

A New Way

There is a new "propose" button on the blocker tracking app. The first time you click on it, you will be prompted to:

  • Log in with FAS credentials
  • Supply your bugzilla email address and password (same as what you use to login to bugzilla)
    • We only ask for this one and do not store the password or make any changes in bugzilla as your user - this is only used for verification of ownership so that when bugs are proposed, the correct email address is added to that bug's cc list
  • Fill out the form and click on "submit"

After the first proposal, you will not be prompted for bugzilla credentials - just log in using FAS credentials and you're ready to go!

Why Require Explanations ?

We get a decent number of proposals which have no explanation for why they should be a blocker or freezeException. When going through these bugs during a blocker review meeting, this makes the meeting longer as the reviewers either have to guess at why a bug was proposed or ask about the reasons in the bug comments.

Either way, this makes the job of reviewing the proposals more painful than it already is. By requiring at least a justification, the hope is that the review process will be a little more straight forward

To Wrap Up

Please make use of the new feature - it should make life somewhat easier for all involved (people proposing blocker/freezeException bugs and those reviewing proposals). The blocker process as a whole is far from being perfect but we're trying to make it better for all involved little by little.

If you notice problems or have suggestions on how we can make the proposal process better, please let us know through any of following methods: