Re: [Ksummit-discuss] [TECH TOPIC] QR encoded oops for the kernel

[Levente Kurusa <levex@linux.com>]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 3260 bytes --]

Hi,

On Mon, May 12, 2014 at 12:15:39PM -0400, Jason Cooper wrote:
> On Sun, May 11, 2014 at 08:52:12PM +0300, Teodora Băluţă wrote:
> > On Sun, May 11, 2014 at 8:18 PM, Levente Kurusa <levex@linux.com> wrote:
> > > On Sun, May 11, 2014 at 06:37:47PM +0200, Laurent Pinchart wrote:
> > >> On Sunday 11 May 2014 18:29:18 Levente Kurusa wrote:
> > >> > On Sun, May 11, 2014 at 08:57:01AM -0700, Sarah A Sharp wrote:
> > >> > > On Sat, May 10, 2014 at 9:14 PM, Jason Cooper wrote:
> > >> > > > All,
> > >> > > >
> > >> > > > I recently came across a patch series attempting to implement encoding
> > >> > > > kernel oops into a QR code [1].  The QR code is then dumped to the
> > >> > > >
> > >> > > > framebuffer.  The QR code is a URL of the form:
> > >> > > >   https://oops.kernel.org/?qr=<base64 compressed oops>
> > >> > > >
> > >> > > > This proposal is interesting because it fundamentally changes the way
> > >> > > > users report bugs to the kernel community.  First and foremost, it makes
> > >> > > > it much easier.
> > >> > > >
> > >> > > >   1) oops occurs
> > >> > > >   2) user pulls out phone, scans QR code
> > >> > > >       - at this point, the oops is recorded on the server.  Nothing more
> > >> > > >         is required of the user.
> > >> >
> > >> > To be precise, most scanners don't automatically open the links
> > >> > found in QR codes and hence a tap/click from the user is required. :-)
> > 
> > That's correct, you still need a click, so maybe a special Android app
> > could do the work so you don't need to turn the compressed oops into
> > base64.
> 
> I'd like the URL to be valid (meaning base64 the compressed data) so
> that we can get the data to the kernel.org server as easily as possible.
> Making the app a requirement for reporting is too onerous for
> non-developers.  I see no reason we can't link to (Open in/Install) it
> on the webform though.

+1, the app is a good idea but shouldn't at all be mandatory. If we
add that as a requirement people might just get lazy and don't
download the app at which point we lose the report. Of course,
adding the app as a plus is a great idea, since then the geeky people
can take a look at what really happenned if the QR code has messed up
their stack traces or whatever they see on their screen.

> 
> I see your app as a great tool for people developing the kernel or
> curious about what happened, but there will be a significant number of
> users who don't develop (possibly anything) who won't go to the effort
> to install an app just to help us out.  Knowing how many of those folks
> are affected by the bug is, imho, a very important data point when
> triaging bugs.

Yup, I think it's almost the same as with requiring the user to fill
out a long seemingly endless form. Let's be as small as we can, while
having the possibility of adding more and more data.

> 
> Even though these 'users' don't talk on lkml, they *do* exist.  And they
> say mean things like "Linux crashes on my $LAPTOP, it sucks."  I'd rather
> not have to get a facebook account to learn that. :)

If only, I had counted how many bad quality photos of people's screens
did I get so far. :-)

Thanks,
    Levente Kurusa

[-- Attachment #2: Digital signature --]
[-- Type: application/pgp-signature, Size: 490 bytes --]