Comment 0 for bug 284256

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Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt) wrote :

On every bug report page I visit, the page begins with the text "This bug doesn't affect me (_change_)".

This doesn't make sense in three ways:
1. The standard point-of-view style for computer interfaces, including the rest of Launchpad, is to refer to the user as "you" in non-interactive text like this (e.g. "Comment only if you think the duplicate status is wrong"), using "me" only for interactive text (e.g. "[ ] Include bug descriptions when sending me bug notifications").
2. Usually the reason I'm visiting the bug page is because the bug *does* affect me, so the statement is false most of the time. This would make more sense if the statement was a checkbox or radio button label, but it isn't.
3. The link implies that I can "change" whether a bug affects me by twiddling knobs in Launchpad, which is also false. If only it were that easy! Whether a bug affects me is dependent on what software I use and how I use it, not on what I do in Launchpad.

How to fix this bug depends on what the recorded information is used for. Since it's currently not used at all, the simplest and most understandable way to fix it would be to remove the text and link entirely. An alternative method would be representing the toggle as a vote, with a "Vote" or "Remove Vote" button depending on the current status.

I strongly suggest removing or hiding the function until it does something visibly useful, otherwise it will discredit the usefulness of other functions in the bug tracker.