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@c PSPP - a program for statistical analysis.
@c Copyright (C) 2017, 2020 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@c Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
@c under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3
@c or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
@c with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.
@c A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU
@c Free Documentation License".
@c
@node Bugs
@chapter Bugs
@cindex bugs
@cindex troubleshooting
Occasionally you may encounter a bug in @pspp{}.
If you believe you have found a bug, please
make sure that it really is a bug. Sometimes, what may appear
to be a bug, turns out to be a misunderstanding of how to use the program.
If you are unsure, ask for advice on the pspp-users mailing list.
Information about the mailing list is at @uref{http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/pspp-users}.
It is also valuable to try the newest version of @pspp{}, since the
problem may have already been fixed. You can always find the newest
version of PSPP by visiting @url{https://www.gnu.org/s/pspp, the PSPP
website}. You might have obtained PSPP from a downstream packager,
such as a GNU/Linux distribution; if your downstream package is not
up-to-date, please ask the distributor to update to the newest
version.
If the problem persists in the up-to-date version, check to see if it
has already been reported. Reported issues are listed at
@uref{http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?group=pspp}. If it has already
been reported, you might consider adding a comment with additional
information or even just to mention that you are also experiencing the
problem, since the PSPP developers are often inclined to work on
issues that are important to a large number of users.
For known issues in individual language features, see the relevant section in @pxref{Language}.
If the problem exists in a recent version and it has not already
been reported, then please report it.
@section How to report bugs
The best way to send a bug report is using the web page at
@uref{http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?group=pspp}.
Alternatively, bug reports may be sent by email
to @email{bug-gnu-pspp@@gnu.org}.
A high-quality bug report allows the developers to understand,
reproduce, and ultimately fix the problem. We recommend
including the following:
@itemize @bullet
@item
The version of @pspp{} in which you encountered the problem. It also
often helps to know some information about how @pspp{} was built.
With @pspp{} command syntax, @code{SHOW SYSTEM.} will output
everything we ordinarily need. In the PSPPIRE GUI,
@clicksequence{Help @click{} System Info} produces the same output.
@item The operating system and type of computer on which it is running.
@item A sample of the syntax which causes the problem or, if it is a user
interface problem, the sequence of steps required to reproduce it.
Screenshots can be helpful for reporting bugs in the graphical user
interface, especially since GUI bugs can arise on some systems but
not others, but they do not usually help fixing other kinds of bugs.
@item A description of what you think is wrong: What happened that you
didn't expect, and what did you expect to happen? Include any error
messages that @pspp{} output.
@end itemize
Here is one example of a bug report that includes all of the elements above:
@cartouche
@example
I'm running PSPP on a system where @code{SHOW SYSTEM.} outputs the
following:
@psppoutput{show-system}
The bug I'm seeing is that executing the following syntax:
DATA LIST FREE /x *.
BEGIN DATA.
1 2 3
END DATA.
LIST.
results in:
4
5
6
but I think the output should be:
1
2
3
@end example
@end cartouche
The following bug report, on the other hand, does not provide enough
information for PSPP developers to understand the problem. This means
that the developers cannot identify or fix the problem without
additional rounds of questions, which is more work for both the
reporter and the developer:
@cartouche
@example
I downloaded the latest version of PSPP and entered a sequence of numbers,
but when I analyse them it gives the wrong output.
@end example
@end cartouche
@pspp{} developers value all users' feedback, but cannot promise
an immediate response. The bug reporting is not a consultancy or
support service, although you can make private arrangements for such
services. Since @pspp{} is free software, consultants have access to
the information they need to provide such support.
For general enquiries or help, please use the
@uref{http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/pspp-users, pspp-users
mailing list} instead of the bug mailing list or bug tracker.
The PSPP bug tracker and bug reporting mailing list are public. To
privately report a security vulnerability in GNU PSPP, please send
your report to the closed mailing list @email{pspp-security@@gnu.org}.
The PSPP developers will help you assess your report and fix problems
prior to public disclosure.
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