[Ifeffit] reporting bugs

[Bruce Ravel]

Hi folks,

Of late, I have received a large number of well-intentioned but
incomplete bug reports.  While I am always pleased when people let me
know about the in my programs that need improvement, it seems prudent
for me to spend a little bit of time educating all of you in the art
of reporting bugs.

The most important thing for you to remember is this:
    +------------------------------------------------------+
    | If I cannot replicate the problem you are seeing, I  |
    | will not be not be able to fix it.                   |
    +------------------------------------------------------+

I do not knowingly release software with show-stopping bugs (i.e. bugs
that cause crashes or generate trap files).  Thus, if you do see such
an event, it is likely that I am not aware of it.  You need not only
to tell me *that* it happened, but to show me *how* to make it happen.

Often showing me involves sending the data or project file that
triggers the problem.  Other times it involves sending me an explicit
"recipe" of steps to take which demonstrate the problem.  Sometimes
both. 

When I receive a bug report with insufficient information, I cannot do
anything until we have exchanged email a few more times.  By sending
me what I need to replicate the problem, you may reduce the amount of
communication required and speed up the response.

I have a somewhat long list of suggestions for reporting bugs at this
web page:
   http://leonardo.phys.washington.edu/~ravel/software/exafs/bugs.html
If you have not read that page recently, please take a few minutes to
do so again.

Regards,
B


-- 
 Bruce Ravel  ----------------------------------- ravel at phys.washington.edu
 Code 6134, Building 3, Room 405
 Naval Research Laboratory                          phone: (1) 202 767 2268
 Washington DC 20375, USA                             fax: (1) 202 767 4642

 NRL Synchrotron Radiation Consortium (NRL-SRC)
 Beamlines X11a, X11b, X23b
 National Synchrotron Light Source
 Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973

 My homepage:    http://feff.phys.washington.edu/~ravel 
 EXAFS software: http://feff.phys.washington.edu/~ravel/software/exafs/