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--- NEW FILE: bug-processing.txt ---
Bug Processing
#
<h1>Slony-I Bug Processing</h1>
	
<p> Slony bug tracking is being managed using <a
href="http://www.bugzilla.org/"> Bugzilla.</a></p>
	
<p> Here is the <a href="http://www.slony.info/bugzilla/"> Slony-I
Bugzilla Instance </a>.

<h1> Bug Management Process </h1>

<p> <a href=
"http://www.slony.info/bugzilla/docs/en/html/lifecycle.html"> Bug
Lifecycle Documentation </a> uses the following image <img
src="http://www.slony.info/bugzilla/docs/en/images/bzLifecycle.png">
to characterize the flow of work on bugs, through various states, as
they (hopefully!) get fixed.

<p> The following interpretations are suggested.

<h2> NEW </h2>
<a name="NEW">

<P> When a bug is created, it is created with <B>NEW</B> state, is
assigned to <tt>slony1-bugs at lists.slony.info</tt>, and an email is
sent to the bug tracking list.

<P> At this point, someone on the Slony development team should
examine the bug to ascertain what, if anything, should be done with
it.

<P> It may be appropriate to:
<ul>

<li> Assign it to someone that is expected to work on it, changing the
owner, and change the status to <a href="#ASSIGNED">ASSIGNED</A>.

<li> Perhaps the bug is trivially resolved, in which case, it is
reasonable to jump straight to marking it <a
href="#RESOLVED">RESOLVED</a>.

<li> Perhaps the bug is invalid.  Jump straight to <a href=
"#RESOLVED">RESOLVED</a>.

<li> Perhaps it is unclear who should work on it.  Perhaps the bug
should be left alone, or perhaps it should be <a
href="#ASSIGNED">ASSIGNED</A> to someone who might know who
<i>should</i> do the work.

</ul>

<h2> ASSIGNED </h2>
  <a name="ASSIGNED">

<P> This is the state of bugs that belong to <i>someone</i>.  That
someone should presumably be a human, and not
<tt>slony1-bugs at lists.slony.info</tt>.

<h2> RESOLVED </h2>
  <a name="RESOLVED">

<P> This is the state of bugs that have been addressed, after some
fashion.

<P> There are several possible resolutions:
<ul>
<li> <B>FIXED</B> - believed to be resolved
<li> <B>DUPLICATE</B> - this apparently duplicates some previous bug
<li> <B>WONTFIX</B> - a problem that we don't plan to address
<li> <B>WORKSFORME</B> - the developer can't duplicate the issue
<li> <B>INVALID</B> - the problem is considered part of the proper behaviour of Slony
</ul>

<P> Note that this is <i>not the end</i> of the lifecycle!

<P> If a developer has a patch for a complex issue, it is appropriate to:
<ul>
<li> Attach a patch, or perhaps a reference to a Git commit for the proposed fix.
<li> Mark the bug <B>RESOLVED/FIXED</B>
<li> Reassign the bug, either to:
  <ul>
    <li> The person that reported the bug
    <li> The <tt>slony1-bugs at lists.slony.info</tt> user
    <li> A specific Slony developer that is to validate the fix as <a name="#VERIFIED"> VERIFIED</a>
  </ul>

<h2> VERIFIED </h2>
  <a name="VERIFIED">

<P> A developer (or user) takes a <a href="#RESOLVED">RESOLVED</a> bug, and evaluates
whether the resolution provided is proper.

<P> The same resolution values apply:
<ul>
<li> <B>FIXED</B> - believed to be resolved
<li> <B>DUPLICATE</B> - this apparently duplicates some previous bug
<li> <B>WONTFIX</B> - a problem that we don't plan to address
<li> <B>WORKSFORME</B> - the developer can't duplicate the issue
<li> <B>INVALID</B> - the problem is considered part of the proper behaviour of Slony
</ul>

<P> At this point, for complex patches, we can consider that the patch
has been <B>verified</B> to be valid to be committed and released.

<P> The bug might be re-assigned back to the original developer to do
the commit.  But wait, it's not <a href="#CLOSED">CLOSED</a> yet...

<H2> CLOSED </h2>
  <a name="CLOSED">

<P> The final destination for a Slony bug is for it to be closed.  The
fix should have passed through phases of being <a href="#ASSIGNED">
ASSIGNED</a> <a href="#RESOLVED"> RESOLVED</a> <a name="#VERIFIED">
VERIFIED</a>.  For particularly simple bugs, or for issues considered
to <i>not really be bugs</i>, these phases may be rather brief.

<P> A bug being marked <B>CLOSED</B> should indicate that we have put
it into some specific release, and placed a suitable reference into
the release notes.

<H2> REOPENED </h2>

<P> Oh, no, the <b>zombie bug!</b>

<P> Sometimes bugs aren't solved in the first attempt, and need to be
reopened.  This is pretty much equivalent to <a href="#ASSIGNED">
ASSIGNED</a>.