At 11:33 PM 5/10/01 -0600, Bruce Marler wrote:
>Does anyone know how we go about making sure that Protel puts this issue on
>a bug list?
First of all, know that Protel *does* very carefully comb this list for
problems and suggestions. But since we don't see immediate feedback from
them, it can seem like we are out in the cold.
Next, there is a user-maintained bug database and a bug reporting mailing
list. They exist already, though there is some discussion on the
association list ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) as to how
exactly to run the bug reporting mailing list. The bug reporting list is
not a general discussion list, so, though it is current open to posting
from anyone, please don't post there until you have familiarized yourself
with the procedures. Instead, if you want to discuss a bug, do it here or
on [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ian Wilson maintains the bug database; at
present, only he or I can add records to it.
The bug database is in the database area for [EMAIL PROTECTED],
which can be accessed through
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/protel-users/database
Open up the Bug List. Then, one of the last records contains a reference to
a post in the bug list archive; this allows an extended report or
discussion of a bug or problem or suggestion. The reference is a URL; you
can just click on it and go directly to it.
Yahoogroups databases and archives are searchable.
In the past, when we have compiled lists of problems for Protel and have
submitted them as a group rather than individually, they have received
close attention, probably closer than is likely to happen from individual,
isolated reports.
Now, the problem with this particular problem, the lockup, is that, at
least as far as I have seen, there is little more than a report that, under
unclear conditions, a lockup can occur. This does not give Protel much to
go on. They know that some users experience occasional lockups or worse
than that; but many other users don't see -- especially with W2000 -- *any*
lockups. What's the difference?
Now, if we can find the conditions under which a lockup occurs, and this is
reproducible, and especially if it can be reproduced by more than one user,
the report starts to get *very* useful.
Here is the original report:
>Occasionally when I close down Protel 99SEsp6, running under Windows 2000
>with SP1, the PROTEL software goes into oblivion and stops responding to
>the system. I have to forcibly shut it down using End Task from task
>manager. Has anyone else experienced similar symptoms?
Since we know from many, many reports that Protel 99SE is extremely stable
under W2000, there is likely something unique about the installation, or
the data in the file, or something like that. There are many situations
that can cause a program to lock up and only some of them have to do with
the program itself. There can be a video card problem (even if it seems
that every other program works fine), etc.
This report is not ready for the database, in my opinion, though it can
serve to get a confirmation that, yes, others have experienced some kind of
a lockup under some circumstances that may or may not be similar. Of
course, if users who *do* experience lockups compile information about
their system configurations, exchange files to see if a lockup can be
reproduced by someone else, etc., it can be *very* useful, particularly if
a pattern can be discerned. Perhaps we could do surveys of users regarding
system configuration and then compare the survey results with who
experiences lockups.
For this kind of study, reports from people who *don't* experience lockups
are about as valuable as those from those who do.
I've suggested in the past, I don't know how much consideration it has
received, that Protel install some fault reporting tools in the software.
Perhaps there could be a diagnostic mode that would record system state and
changes (at the cost of speed, to be sure, which is why it must be a
user-configurable mode). The same tool could function as a data recovery
system in the event of a system failure, whether or not Protel caused it.
Essentially, one of its features would be the ability to play back all the
actions a user took since the last successful file save. If this causes the
program to crash, bingo! a reproducible bug.
I've also suggested that Protel offer some kind of reward for being the
first person to discover and clearly report a bug. Think of it as a
contest. It might be a consolation prize for having your system crash....
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Abdulrahman Lomax
P.O. Box 690
El Verano, CA 95433
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