Welcome to the Bug Squad FAQ!

The aim of this page is to provide an up-to-date list of common questions that we get about the Bug Squad project. We encourage you to update this document when something is missing so it becomes a core source of information for the project.

General Questions

How do I start to Triage a bug?

We recommend to every new triager to read our Triage Guide and to raise any questions in the #ubuntu-bugs channel on IRC.

Do I need to have reproduced or recreated a bug to confirm it?

No, a bug can be confirmed when you believe the report describes a genuine bug in enough detail that a developer could start working on a fix. However, you still should not confirm bugs which you have reported. Be sure to look at Debugging Procedures to find out what is necessary for certain types of bugs.

Which are the requirements to join the BugSquad team?

The requirements to join our team are:

More information at the GettingInvolved page.

I'd like to organize a Bug Day

If you want to organize a Bug Day make sure to read the Organizing a Bug Day page and contact us trough our Mailing list. We're always looking for new targets if you have one please consider on adding it to the Planning page

Where can I contact the BugSquad ?

You can contact the BugSquad team using the following methods:

What is the best way to find out the version of software someone is using?

Let's consider Firefox on 8.04, Hardy, where it is possible to find out the version of the software in several different ways:

Of these dpkg-query -W and Synaptic are the most informative as they provide the greatest level of detail without truncation. There may be subtle differences between each Ubuntu version of a package even though the major version number shown by earlier items does not change. This becomes even more important when working with development release bugs. And truncation can omit the vital fine detail.

To use the command dpkg-query open a terminal window (Applications -> Accesories -> Terminal) and type dpkg-query -W firefox. It will print one line of two words; the package name and the version: "firefox 3.0~b5+nobinonly-0ubuntu3". It is the quickest way to find out the version of a package.

To use Synaptic (a graphical package manager), go to System -> Administration -> Synaptic package manager. A pop-up dialog is presented asking your password, after which the package manager appears. In Synaptic's tool bar press the Search button and enter "firefox" (without the quotes). After a few seconds Synaptic shows a list of packages containing that name; just scroll through it to find the firefox line. The second column in the list (labelled Installed Version) shows the package version you have installed but widen the column until you can be sure that all of the version is displayed.

Found a bug which is not in English, what to do?

Bug reports should be in English as that is the most commonly used language by Ubuntu developers and bug triagers. In the event that a bug report is not received in English ask the reporter to translate their bug and any error messages that are not in English. In the event that you are concerned that the bug report is critical and needs to be translated quickly e-mail the Ubuntu translators mailing list for help in getting the bug translated. It's also a good idea to ask in the #ubuntu-bugs channel for translation or in the LoCo channels.

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