19057 - Add capability to CC users who don't have a bugzilla account

Status: VERIFIED WONTFIX

(Bugzilla :: Creating/Changing Bugs, enhancement, P3)

Description

[ossama]

For many of our bug reports, we sometimes would like to add users to the CC list
without forcing them to create a bugzilla account.  The attached patches allow
this occur.

Comment 1

[ossama]

Attachment: Patch that allows non-bugzilla users to be CCed.

Comment 2

[ossama]

This enhancement request depends on the bug fix that adds "groups read" to the
"lock tables" command in process_bug.cgi.

Comment 3

[Terry Weissman]

My problem with this is that it does not do any kind of error checking on the
email address; there is no way to detect typos.  Worse, it makes it too easy to
spam people with stuff from Bugzilla when they may not be interested.  I think
it's a bad idea.

Comment 4

[ossama]

Good point, but at the same time isn't just as easy to create a bugzilla account
for someone without permission and then using that account in some e-mail.

In any case, I thought that this would be "nice" thing to have but you certainly
make a good argument against it.

Comment 5

[Terry Weissman]

It's not "just as easy", it takes a deliberate act, which will make people think
and be more careful.

Actually, hardly anyone realizes how easy it is to make Bugzilla accounts for
other people.  You'd be surprised.

Comment 6

[ossama]

Okay, I'm convinced. :-)
Should I close this enhancement request?

BTW, the reason why I requested this feature is that we've been receiving
complaints about not being able to CC people who don't have a bugzilla account.
I hacked our bugzilla installation to allow this.  I guess I'll soon find out if
it that was a bad idea.

Thanks for comments!  I'll rethink the "feature" I added.

Comment 7

[Matthew Tuck [:CodeMachine]]

It'd be nice to get a link to "create a bugzilla account for this person", as
well as if Bugzilla tried to automatically find a close email address and ask
whether it's correct.

Comment 8

[Matthew Tuck [:CodeMachine]]

It'd be nice to get a link to "create a bugzilla account for this person", as
well as if Bugzilla tried to automatically find a close email address and ask
whether it's correct.

Comment 9

[Terry Weissman]

[e-mail] is the new owner of Bugzilla and Bonsai.  (For details,
see my posting in netscape.public.mozilla.webtools,
news://news.mozilla.org/38F5D90D.F40E8C1A%40geocast.com .)

Comment 10

[Chris Yeh]

closing as won't fix. adding cc's for people that don't have a bugzilla account 
is really evil. also, it makes it very easy to create spam lists.

Comment 11

[Chris Yeh]

dmose has convinced me we should do this as a preference

Comment 12

[Stephan Niemz]

Adding default QA contact to all open Webtools/Bugzilla bugs lacking one.
Sorry for the spam.

Comment 13

[Matthew Tuck [:CodeMachine]]

Moving to future ... I assume the patch would no longer work as all this stuff
is userid based now.

Comment 14

[Matthew Tuck [:CodeMachine]]

Moving to new Bugzilla product ...

Comment 15

[Jouni Heikniemi]

*** Bug 152242 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 16

[Dave Miller [:justdave]]

Comment on attachment 2915 [details] [diff] [review]
Patch that allows non-bugzilla users to be CCed.

bitrot supreme :)

Comment 17

[Dave Miller [:justdave]]

although there is a call for this feature, I think this is going about it the
wrong way.

For someone who doesn't have an account who you think might be interested,
picking "Send Page" from the file menu is a good way to introduce them to it. 
They should sign up and CC themselves if they really want it.

Another alternative would be a "non-user contact" for the bug, which is being
discussed in bug 175272 and I think would really be a much better solution.

Comment 18

[Dave Miller [:justdave]]

clearing target on bugs with resolution other than FIXED so they'll show up as
untriaged if they get reopened.

Comment 19

[Vlad Dascalu]

*** Bug 232878 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 21

[Justin Wood (:Callek)]

should this be reconsidered...

my pre-req on this, "should be limited to users with a certain [new] permission-set"

Primary Reason: Support group helpers, when a user presents with a problem that is an actual bug, may wish to CC said user on the bug, without actually forcing them to sign up.

I could think of at least one case where I could tell someone "It sadly broke with 2.0.0.10, its due to Bug xyz, would you like me to add your e-mail to the CC-list, so that you can know when it is fixed (and grab the next update after that)?  You'll then get an e-mail that directs you to create a Bugzilla account, if you don't have one allready"  or some such.

Might be helpful to have a "second" permission bit that can allow bugzilla to send e-mail to people even without accounts [yet], but that probably should be an entirely different bug.