![]() If a bug report already exists, that is great. ![]() For example, if you do a Google search for “photoshop bugs,” the first link that will come up is Adobe’s bug reporting page. Most software you are using will have a page dedicated to finding bugs. Aside from doing a direct Google search for your specific bug, one thing you can do is go to the bugs page for the software you are looking at and see if the bug has already been reported. For popular software, it is probable that the bug you have found has already been reported. Once you have verified that you indeed have found a bug, you should see if the bug is already documented or reported. Step 2: Check if the bug has already been reported. If you cannot reproduce the bug you found, there is a good chance that it is not actually a bug. This might seem like an obvious first step but I have surprised myself with how many times I would be in the process of reporting a bug then halfway through try to reproduce the bug only to realize it was either a user error on my part or an environment issue. Step 1: Try to reproduce the bug to make sure that it is indeed a bug and not a user or environment error. The reason why I believe that everyone should report bugs is that finding and reporting a bug can empower a user to help make the software they use every day better.īefore you start reporting bugs left and right, I would like to guide you through some things that I have learned that make reporting a bug effective and consequently increases the likelihood of the bug actually getting fixed. While spending the last year doing quality assurance for Lucid Software, I realized that finding and reporting bugs does not always have to be a nuisance in fact, it can be quite empowering. Sometimes bugs are so severe that they can cause us to stop using certain software altogether. Most of the time a bug is a source of minor (or major) annoyance. According to what someone wrote on the Wikipedia article for a software bug, “A software bug is an error, flaw, failure or fault in a computer program or system that causes it to produce an incorrect or unexpected result, or to behave in unintended ways.” What is a bug?Įveryone that has used software has run into a bug. So next time you are bugged by a bug (see what I did there?), consider taking a more proactive approach than complaining or throwing your computer out the window, and actually take the time to report the bug. ![]() I would argue that one of the best ways we can support the software we love is by showing an interest in the development of the software by submitting bug reports. So what can we do to give back to the developers who are adding value to our lives? A thank you email perhaps? Donate via PayPal to the developers (even better)? Become a ravenous fan who tweets and Instagrams incessantly about the awesome software? Thousands of developer hours went into each piece of software I use.įree or not, good software makes our lives better. Just because I use free software, however, does not mean that the software did not come at a cost. I use almost exclusively open source software. Which percentage of the software did you pay for? 50%? 20%? 0%? Chances are if you're anything like me, most of the software you use, you got for free. I want you to take a moment and make a mental note of all the software you use on your computer or phone.
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