[Xdreams]Bugs and Features

[Eugene Lee]

On Mon, Aug 02, 2004 at 11:19:48AM -0600, Doug McNutt wrote:
: 
: I believe that this list can perform a function over and above Apple's
: bug/request system.

Depends on what you seek.

: One can file a bug report, as a Developer Connection member, with
: Apple and one can check periodically to see if anything has been done
: about it.
: 
: One cannot ask if a similar bug has been previously reported and by
: how many people. One cannot get feedback from Apple's engineers about
: just how silly they think the idea is. One cannot search the list of
: known bugs. Forget about an update via e-mail.

This mailing list is not an official Apple-sponsored or Apple-hosted
forum.  Also, no Apple engineers claim to actively read or write back
on this forum.  So I don't think this list will do what you wish it
could do.

Besides, on the few lists where Apple engineers do post on specific
products, it's not always on Apple's time.  And their comments cannot
be interpreted as official Apple statements.  Worse still, the trolls
will get on and start offloading years of complaints about Apple onto
those few engineers who VOLUNTEERED to participate in a public forum.
Then the list becomes a giant waste of noise.  This is what happened
with David Hyatt's "Surfin' Safari" blog.  The reason he disabled the
"Comments" feature was because people were abusing it and complaining
about insert-your-favorite-Apple-product-to-hate and not responding to
the specific entry blog itself or not reporting specific Safari bugs.

: I reported it long ago and nothing changed with Panther. This list, if
: we used it, could become a forum in which I could learn that I'm the
: only one who cares. Alternatively it could become a place where a
: whole lot of people can say "me too" and get noticed by Apple in a way
: that isolated bug reports can never provide.

That happens occasionally on larger lists, especially when the amount of
comments is large enough to get picked up by one of the mainstream Mac
news web sites.

But if you want a forum that Apple does monitor regularly, have you
check Apple's web-based discussion forums?

	http://discussions.info.apple.com/


-- 
Eugene Lee
http://www.coxar.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/