From Fedora Project Wiki
General idea:
- Have people in some way register providing their smolt profile and email address.
- Expose the users through a suitable interface (e.g. XXXXX-smolt@fp.o where XXXXX represents a hardware id would email all users with that hardware) (this could be dont in a multitude of different ways).
- Reap the rewards.
Some potential benefits:
- Developers/packagers will have an easily accessible source people with specific hardware.
- If a bug is suspected to be related to specific hardware all registered people can be contacted to confirm the bug.
- If a serious bug is found in testing that requires actions by the testers to revert for instance they can all be contacted easily and directly.
- If a bug is fixed only in testing relevant people can be told directly to go to updates-testing.
- If a bug is thought to be fixed a targeted (by hardware) audience can be asked to test the new update.
- Particularly critical long term bugs could have the hardware cc'd to keep everybody posted.
- Everything is much more targeted. I am sure i am not the only one that skips a lot of emails if it doesnt seem relevet (if i read every email i would never get any work done). It is therefore easy to miss a call for testing. This method bypasses the issue because the user knows it is targeted at something specific to themselves.
General issues to be considered:
- Getting the smolt profile. Obviously we have to somehow collect the smolt profile from the end user. Could be anything from a wiki page to an extra field in fas.
- Privacy. We cant just contact people without them wanting it. Shouldnt be an issue because people would have to register for this in the first place.
- Anonymous. Registered users should not be visible. Messages are sent out. User should only be exposed on response (email system as above would already have this effect).
- Implementers. Somone has to implement it. I will happily help where i can definately dont kow enough about the relevant systems to do it without help. Any implementation could also require some degree of modification or addition to existing systems.
- Demand. Obviously no point in even starting unless someone is going to use the system. I have however seen a few cases where it could be used and although i have not spoken to anyone directly i would imagine any software that is effected by hardware could be a potential user (kernel, X, cd/dvd writing software are all prime examples. testers are good examples of end users).