Bug Triage

General Overview

Open source software projects typically have a bug repository that allows both developers and users to post problems encountered with the software, suggest possible enhancements, and comment upon existing bug reports. Popular open source projects receive lots of bug reports.

Since more bugs are reported than can be easily handled, each bug must be triaged to determine if it describes a meaningful new problem or enhancement, and if it does, it must be assigned to an appropriate developer for further handling.

We are investigating approaches to help automate two parts of the bug triage process:

• Bug Report Assignment
• Duplicate Detection

Our work as been published at a number of venues. See our publications listing below.

• Publications

Bug Report Assignment

Overview

As a means of reducing the time spent triaging and improving the triage process, we are developing and validating a machine-learning approach for semi-automating one part of the process: the assignment of a developer to a newly received report.

For more detailed information about this project, contact John Anvik.

Bug Assignment Tool

In the near future, we plan to have an assignment tool available that provides a list of recommendations for the following projects:

• Eclipse Platform
• Firefox Browser

The tool will be provided in two formats:

• A Firefox extension.
• An Eclipse plug-in.

Please contact John Anvik if you wish to be informed when the tool becomes available.

Using the Bug Assignment Tool with Other Projects

If you would like to use the tool for a project not listed above, please contact John Anvik. Your project must meet the following conditions for consideration:

1. Uses Bugzilla for tracking bug reports where the default layout for bug reports has not been altered.
2. The project contains more than 20 developers who actively fix bugs.
3. The project had 1000+ reports marked as FIXED in the last 8 months.

Duplicate Detection

Overview

to be written - Lyndon

Publications

• Who Should Fix This Bug?, ICSE 2006.
• Coping with Bug Repositories, eTx Workshop at OOPSLA 2005.