[[!toc levels=3]]

# Past experiences

* intrigeri: I've used Trac in the past. I've recently started using Redmine, and
  like it much better. Doesn't know anything about their email interface.
* ague: Trac & Redmine
* bertagaz: Redmine is faster and easier to use, good UI. Taohe-LAFS' Trac is
  quite nicely organized.

# Other options

## Trac

* [email2trac utilities](https://subtrac.sara.nl/oss/email2trac/)

## Bugs everywhere

* [Homepage](http://bugseverywhere.org/)
* General impression: nice
* Compliance: yes but
  - there are no *true* subtickets but depends
  - it is not anymore in Debian because the maintainer was not willing to
    take care of its outdated package anymore. Other bugs were wishlist.
* Features
  - totally distributed
  - very nice command line interface
  - nice BTS-like email interface
  - minimal web interface (viewing and commenting bugs)
  - well written, simple to customize

Let's see if it is possible to use Bugs Everywhere while not making
the entry barrier too high for new contributors.

### First interaction: looking

The static web output looks good enough, doesn't it?

### Second interaction: commenting

#### Solution A

Let's add <mailto:> links with the subject prepared to ease replying
to a comment over email.

(Note: supposed to work with GMail + Chrome. And others?)

#### Solution B

Let's add an option to allow a single (anonymous) action in the web
interface: commenting... while disabling other kinds of changes.

Pros: more familiar to some kind of potential new contributors.

Cons: we have to handle comments spam somehow. Urghl.

### Third interaction: assigning to self

#### Solution A: over Git

Let's allow _anonymous_ Git push to our Bugs Everywhere repository.

Changing a ticket's metadata then requires cloning, installing Bugs
Everywhere, running a `be` command or doing the changes inside the
(local) web interface, and then commit + push.

#### Solution B: over email

Sending an email whose body includes a command phrased as a special
pseudo-header.

#### Discussion

Both are clearly non-trivial, but probably not harder than
understanding our tasks workflow and processes ;) Yes, it adds to the
list of what you have to learn to contribute.

### Fourth interaction: subscribing to a ticket

The command-line interface allows subscribing to email notifications
(all changes, or only ticket creation, or specific tickets).

Presumably one may use email commands to subscribe.
If it is the case, then we can have the web interface
display a <mailto:> link on each ticket page to subscribe to it.

## Other distributed task trackers with Git backend

 * https://lwn.net/Articles/281849/
 * https://www.ohloh.net/p/cil/ in Debian
   -> No active development since 2010?
   -> https://github.com/maspalio/cil
 * http://github.com/jeffWelling/ticgit/
 * http://ditz.rubyforge.org/ in Debian
   -> The version in Wheezy is from 2009 but it is still in active
     development
   - nice *but* impossible to modify/comment bug through web interface
 * http://bugseverywhere.org/
   -> In Squeeze and Sid but not Wheezy ;)
   -> Static HTML bug repository dumps for online browsing: discared?
 * https://github.com/bkeepers/gaskit#readme
   -> Ruby web application with Git backend
   -> Is it possible to use it through the command line?
 * http://www.mkgnu.net/scmbug
   -> Latest version from 2011, previous one from 2009

## Others

 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNATS in Debian
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GLPI in Debian
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Launchpad_%28website%29 in Debian
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redmine in Debian
   -> We can ask for an instance to Riseup
   -> Demo: https://labs.riseup.net/code/projects/crabgrass/
   -> http://www.chrisstucchio.com/blog/2012/idli.html
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundup_%28issue_tracker%29 in Debian
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trac in Debian
   -> https://subtrac.sara.nl/oss/email2trac
   -> "sd" support is totally broken, no upstream anymore, removed from Debian
   -> http://www.chrisstucchio.com/blog/2012/idli.html
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zentrack
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BugTracker.NET
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugzilla
   -> better than it used to be, but would be a pain to host?
 * https://www.chiliproject.org/
   -> https://www.chiliproject.org/projects/chiliproject/wiki
     - email interface
     - wiki, forum, etc.

## Discarded

 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veracity_%28software%29
   -> Distributed version control system and bugtracker but not using Git
 * http://www.fossil-scm.org/ in Debian
   -> Distributed control system but no Git backend (only Git import/export)
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OTRS in Debian
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Request_Tracker in Debian
   ->  bertagaz doesn't like them : overkill, no so nice to use
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantis_Bug_Tracker in Debian
   -> Discarded by intrigeri and bertagaz
