[Libreoffice-qa] alternative to [was] Bub Submission Assistant - LibreOffice Link Integration

[Terrence Enger]

Just a wild idea, as an alternative to a link from the LO
user interface to bugzilla ...

At the appropriate places in the LO interface, put a link to
an IRC channel offering user help.  Are users in general
well enough acquanted with IRC that they would like this?

Some things we would need or want ...

(1) The links.  This takes programming.

(2) The channel (or perhaps a channel per natural language,
    or something else).  This takes minimal effort, even if
    it is a new channel.

(3) Somebody sufficiently knowlegeable on the channel.
    There are lots of tradeoffs to be made here, and I think
    this would be the most difficult part.

(4) The links automatically send their own identification
    (e.g., what message box the link is from) in a form
    *not* dependent on the installed language, and
    identification of the version of LO.  More programming.

(5) A database of known questions and answers.  This changes
    the meaning of "sufficiently knowledgeable" in point (3):
    the help provider may get away having a little less
    knowledge of LO but needs to query and update the
    database.

(6) A whole bunch of versions of LO with a whole bund of
    installed languages running on a whole bunch of
    platforms, all of them readily available to the help
    provider.

(7) In LO, beside menu option File > Send > "Document as
    email", add "to the charming, knowlegdeable, helpful
    person you are chatting with on IRC".

(8) An escalation path for when things are not working.

(9) Attention from designers to remove the causes of
    repeated questions.

I shall stop here, as this is already more than I can do
this morning <grin />.

To repeat, it is just a wild idea.

Terry.