As a reminder, the DIRSIG model is currently distributed to and maintained for the user community free-of-charge. Although the DIRSIG team is interested in hearing about problems, there is no guarantee that your specific problem will be addressed.
The task of managing a complex model like DIRSIG is aided by the use of powerful software management tools. One of the tools that is employed by the DIRSIG team is "Bugzilla" which is an open-source, web-based, bug and problem tracking system (for more information see http://www.bugzilla.org). The system allows users to search for existing bugs, submit new bugs, and track bugs. The system is interactive so that the user is notified when any change is made in the status of a bug that they are tracking.
The Bugzilla system has a on-line manual that can be browsed at: http://www.bugzilla.org/docs/html/using.html This manual will teach the user the primary operations that can be performed in the system:
A new user will need to create an account.
A registered user should check if their problem as already been reported by searching for existing bugs.
If their problem has not been reported, they should submit a bug report. The information in the "Bug Writing Guidlines" link off of the http://www.bugzilla.org/docs/html/bugreports.html page will help the user create a useful bug report.
Just like the software itself, the DIRSIG documentation is tracked by our bug tracking software. If you find a problem with this documentation, you can report via the DIRSIG Bugzilla website: http://www.dirsig.org/bugzilla If you have not used Bugzilla before, follow the instructions on the main page to create yourself an account in the bug tracking system. Once that process is complete, you can enter and track bugs in the system.
Bugzilla organizes elements at the top-most level into categories called "products". At this time, there are the following products that a user can submit and track bugs in:
This product is used by the DIRSIG team to test or log any problems with the Bugzilla system itself
This product used to track issues related to the "Bulldozer" scene building tool.
This product used to track issues related to the current versions of the DIRSIG model (version 3).
This product used to track issues related to the next generation version of the DIRSIG model (version 4).
This product used to track issues related to the next both the print and HTML versions of the DIRSIG documentation.
When you submit your problem, please choose the "product" that is the most appropriate. The developer that is assigned your bug can always change the bug properties to something more appropriate.
To report a bug, click on the "New" link from the list of actions and then select the "Documentation" from the list of products. Fill out the bug description and summary sections and submit it.
To request an enhancement to the manual, click on the "New" link from the list of actions and then select the "Documentation" from the list of "products". Select the "enhancement" option from the "Severity" list, and fill out the description and summary of your desired enhancement.
The Bugzilla system sends email to the user any time there is a change to the status of your bug. Every email message from the Bugzilla system will contain HTTP links to your bug in the system. You can point your browser to this link to see the page for your bug and review the status and any discussions regarding the bug.
Additionally, Bugzilla serves as a "communication channel" between the user and the developer that is assigned to your bug. The developer may pose a question regarding your bug. This question will be logged in the system but will also appear in an email to the user. Do not reply to this message via email!. Instead, follow the link to your bug in the Bugzilla system and respond using by typing in the box labeled Additional Comments (sometimes referred to as the "whiteboard"). When your message is complete, click the Commit button.