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Comment by bayindirh | Hacker News Reader

> still being completely based on e-mail

Nope, the process can start with "reportbug" utility, which needs a setup in the first run, but allows bug reporting from the comfort of your terminal.

On the other hand, once you install Debian, you won't be reinstalling it for the next two decades. It'll just update.

> also, if you use new hardware, just install Debian Testing...

Sure, that's fine for personal systems & office workstations which are behind a NAT, with a peaceful network.

For any server and internet facing devices, install Debian Stable with NetInstall ISO and enable firmware installation. Testing does not get security updates. I repeat: Testing does not get security updates.

--Sent from my Debian Trixie box.

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Yeah, good reminder about Testing security. But some packages with serious security issues get a fast pass from Unstable to Testing sometimes.

Chances are that if you're installing a server that's new enough to need to run Debian Testing (or newer), you probably already know what you need to know. So yeah Testing is more for Desktops.

I tried the reportbug utility once, it made up an email for me (related to my machine's hostname) and I never ever heard about the bug again. Couldn't find it on the web interface. I'm not that stupid and I failed to report a bug. Beautiful web interfaces are a million times better for bugs, and they're also capable to send e-mail notifications to whoever wants them.

If you configured reportbug with an e-mail related to your hostname, you probably not configured it correctly. You need to give an SMTP server to it (preferably your primary e-mail's one), and create an app password, or enter your password (if you don't use 2FA). Then it sends an e-mail from your account as you.

The good thing about reportbug is, it works on your system with your own configuration, and walks you through the process. Microsoft Windows has a full invasive API to enable that with web browsers.

The mailing list tool used by Debian (Majordomo) is a bit backwards, but you can send command e-mails to bugs to be added to CC, or be removed, or to reclassify stuff. The best thing about it, these e-mails are also logged, keeping a nice trail of "who did what, when" kind of information. Please keep in mind that Debian e-mail lists start in 1994, so there are a lot of things to migrate when things move.

I personally also like KDE's Bugzilla, but finding correct components is a pain sometimes, so I directly use "report a bug" tool under "Help".

I don't think reportbug is perfect, but it does its thing way better than it looks. Maybe it can be improved. I need to look into it.

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