Mike Sheen - Slashdot User

Comment Re:Not so public disclosure (Score 1) 159

by Mike Sheen on Monday September 29, 2014 @05:23AM (#48017857) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Software Issue Tracking Transparency - Good Or Bad?

OP Here,

That is certainly on the cards, and after seeing a lot of the comments here I will go down that path - that and having a sanitised list of changes with each public release of what was fixed or introduced and only reported before or in the last public release.

Common sense told me there was *some* merit to what the sales droids were saying, but I needed some outside opinion and I think I certainly have received that opinion now.

Also - sorry about the long summary - I have never submitted to slashdot before and assumed it would be truncated or edited suitably if published. Another day, more knowledge acquired - that's a win for me I guess :)

Mike

Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Software issue tracking transparency - good or bad?

Submitted by Mike Sheen on Thursday September 25, 2014 @08:00AM

Mike Sheen writes: Software issue tracking transparency — good or bad?

I'm the lead developer for an Australian ERP software outfit. For the last 10 years or so we've been using Bugzilla as our issue tracking system. I made this publicly available to the degree than anyone could search and view bugs. Our software is designed to be extensible and as such we have a number of 3rd party developers making customisations and integrating with our core product.

We've been pumping out builds and publishing them as "Development Stream (Experimental / Unstable" and "Release Stream (Stable)", and this is visible on our support site to all. We had been also providing a link next to each build with the text showing the number of bugs fixed and the number of enhancements introduced, and the URL would take them to the Bugzilla list of issues for that milestone which were of type bug or enhancement.

This had been appreciated by our support and developer community, as they can readily see what issues are addressed and what new features have been introduced. Prior to us exposing our Bugzilla database publicly we produced a sanitised list of changes — which was time consuming to produce and I decided was unneccessary given we could just expose the "truth" with simple links to the Bugzilla search related to that milestone.

The sales and marketing team didn't like this. Their argument is that competitors use this against us to paint us as producers of buggy software. I argue that transparency is good, and beneficial — and whilst our competitors (Dynamics NAV, MYOB Exonet, SAP Business One, et cetera) don't publish such information — but if we were to follow our competitors practices we simply follow them in the race to the bottom in terms of software quality and opaqueness.

In my opinion, transparency of software issues provides:

Identification of which release or build a certain issue is fixed
Recognition that we are actively developing the software
Incentive to improve quality controls as our "dirty laundry" is on display
Information critical to 3rd party developers
A projection of integrity and honesty

I've yielded to the sales and marketing demands such that we no longer display the links next to each build for fixes and enhancements, and now publish "Development Stream (Experimental / Unstable" as simply ""Development Stream", but I know what is coming next — a request to no longer make our Bugzilla database publicly accessible. I still have the Bugzilla database publicly exposed, but there is now only no longer the "click this link to see what we did in this build".

A compromise may be to make the Bugzilla database only visible to vetted resellers and developers — but I'm resistant to making a closed "exclusive" culture. I value transparency and recognise the benefits. The sales team are insistent that exposing such detail is a bad thing for sales.

I know by posting in a community like Slashdot that I'm going to get a lot of support for my views, but I'm also interested in what people think about the viewpoint that such transparency could be bad thing.

Mike

Comment Re:need to get over the "cult of macho programming (Score 2) 231

by Mike Sheen on Sunday May 04, 2014 @03:02AM (#46911683) Attached to: How To Prevent the Next Heartbleed

I saw that a week ago, so I donated $50 USD to the OpenSSL Software Foundation. I figured I would either whine about the problem, or do something. I chose the latter.

Comment He's the new McAfee (Score 1) 112

by Mike Sheen on Friday June 14, 2013 @07:20AM (#44005539) Attached to: Dotcom Alleges Megaupload Raid Was Part of Deal To Film <em>The Hobbit</em>

I look forward to the details.

Comment Re:I don't drink coffee (Score 1) 259

by Mike Sheen on Wednesday June 12, 2013 @07:44AM (#43983499) Attached to: Disease Outbreak Threatens the Future of Good Coffee

You might want to fix your signature. I think you meant "For all intents and purposes", not "For all intensive purposes". If you're going to have a witty quip as a signature about language, you may want to learn the language first.

Comment What about the skin temp ? (Score 1) 201

by Mike Sheen on Sunday May 05, 2013 @06:54AM (#43633627) Attached to: USAF Hypersonic Scramjet Successfully Scrams

I'm no aerospace engineer, but I imagine the temperature of the aircraft skin would get hot pretty quick at such speeds. What materials is this craft made of, and how do they combat the problems of heat caused by air rushing so quickly over the aircraft ? Making an engine work in short bursts is one thing, making an aircraft capable if withstanding that velocity through atmosphere is another.

Submission + - Software developer sues to mute forum users (whirlpool.net.au) 1

Submitted by

Whirlpool User

on Wednesday September 12, 2007 @01:52AM

Whirlpool User writes: "An Australian accounting software developer blames a 'severe downturn in sales' on people who bad-mouthed its products in online user forums. It wants a judge to muzzle their comments. http://whirlpool.net.au/article.cfm/1753"

Submission + - Whirlpool sued for criticism (smh.com.au)

Submitted by ssinct on Wednesday September 12, 2007 @12:28AM

ssinct writes: Popular Australian broadband news and discussion site, Whirlpool, is being sued by 2Clix, for AUD$150,000 over "injurious falsehood", in relation to critical forum threads posted regarding deficiencies in the company's accounting software. The EFF, and local legal experts are up in arms over 2clix's move.

Submission + - Whirlpool Founder Sued By Software Manufacturer

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 12, 2007 @12:26AM

An anonymous reader writes: The founder of Whirlpool, an Australian forum for broadband and internet discussion, with nearly 190,000 registered users, is being sued by an accounting software company that had their software bagged out by users commenting on the forum. This type of litigation seems to happen a bit in the US, but it's all new for Australia. The papers were apparently served last night, and it's all over the media Down Under this morning. This looks as though it's going to be a huge bunfight that is going to have its every move covered by the media here. And the ramifications if Whirlpool lose this case are enormous for Australian internet users.

Submission + - Broadband forum sued over user comments

Submitted by

weighn

on Wednesday September 12, 2007 @12:11AM

weighn writes: "PC World (Australia) and The SMH report that "A software firm is suing a community website over comments published on its forum. 2Clix is suing the owner of the popular broadband community site Whirlpool, Simon Wright, for "injurious falsehood", asking for $AUS150,000 in damages and an injunction requiring Whirlpool to remove forum threads highly critical of 2Clix's accounting software.
Dale Clapperton, chairman of the online users lobby group Electronic Frontiers Australia, said 2Clix was using the law to silence its critics. Whirlpool users have begun donating money to the site to help Wright cover any legal costs."

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