669885 - Impossible to submit feedback on input.mozilla.com with non-current Firefox versions or with other browsers

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 629953

(Input :: General, defect)

Description

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

STEPS TO REPRODUCE:

1)  Update Firefox.
2)  Discover that the updated Firefox doesn't run on your machine for some
    reason.
3)  Try to submit feedback using some other browser.

EXPECTED RESULTS: Able to submit the feedback about the browser not running

ACTUAL RESULTS: Insult added to injury, with a redirect to http://input.mozilla.com/download which tells me to install exactly the thing that's not running.  Can't submit feedbacl.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Locking out browsers based on UA sniffing is one of the more despicable things websites can do.  We should NOT be doing it.

Comment 1

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

Ccing some of the folks who might know what's going on here.

Comment 2

[Patrick Finch]

ading Jslater and Aakash, they own Input and this site.

Comment 3

[David Boswell]

For background, there's some discussion about this in bug 622621 about retiring Hendrix, our old feedback system.

In that thread the comments are that there are other feedback systems available that are more appropriate for people who aren't able to give feedback on Input, specifically SUMO and Bugzilla.  The simple solution then would be to link to those two places on this page in addition to just providing the download information.

Anecdotally, we get a fair amount of feedback to the mozilla.org webmaster address that starts "I tried to leave feedback for you, but couldn't..." so this is something that should get addressed to avoid confusing people.

Comment 4

[Aakash Desai [:aakashd]]

Boris, it'd help to know what build id of Firefox you're using when you received this error.

Comment 5

[:glob ✱]

(In reply to comment #3)
> In that thread the comments are that there are other feedback systems
> available that are more appropriate for people who aren't able to give
> feedback on Input, specifically SUMO and Bugzilla.

i don't think we should be encouraging non-firefox users to provide feedback via bugzilla; it isn't a feedback system.

Comment 6

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

> Boris, it'd help to know what build id of Firefox you're using

I thought comment 0 was pretty clear.  I wasn't using Firefox at all.

That said, Firefox 3.6 and 3.5 get the same "we don't want your input until you install the newest Firefox version" page.  But that's not really relevant; the issue is the wording and message of said page.

Comment 7

[Aakash Desai [:aakashd]]

If that's the main issue here, then this is a dupe of bug https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=629953

Comment 8

[Terry R.]

(In reply to comment #5)
> i don't think we should be encouraging non-firefox users to provide feedback
> via bugzilla; it isn't a feedback system.

If a user is unable to use Firefox for some reason, they should be able to submit feedback on a working browser, regardless of what it is.

Comment 9

[Terry R.]

This is actually a duplicate of https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=669885, not https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=629953

Comment 10

[Kyle Huey (Exited; not receiving bugmail, old account, do not use)]

(In reply to comment #9)
> This is actually a duplicate of
> https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=669885, not
> https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=629953

Every bug is a duplicate of itself pretty much by definition ...

Comment 11

[:glob ✱]

(In reply to comment #8)
> (In reply to comment #5)
> > i don't think we should be encouraging non-firefox users to provide feedback
> > via bugzilla; it isn't a feedback system.
> 
> If a user is unable to use Firefox for some reason, they should be able to
> submit feedback on a working browser, regardless of what it is.

my point is that *bugzilla* isn't the right place to collect feedback, not that feedback shouldn't be collected.