Proposal: Test the Discourse <---> Github plugin to unify support channels

Discuss
1

I’ve been working on some designs for the help page (yunohostDOTorg/#/help).

The easy part is the UI design - the more difficult part is the information architecture and creating a short and straight user journey for people looking for support.

I’ve been talking with @Aleks on #yunohost, trying to understand the different uses for each channel - forum, irc, github.

Problem

Different users have different levels of “technical skill”. Some post to the yunohost forum, some to Github issues.

The ideal situation is all support bugs/issues/messages are unified, so if a message is updated on one channel, it’s updated on all.

Summary

Discourse have a plugin that allows discourse users to “bridge” communications between a discourse instance and Github.

I propose we test it to see if it allows unification messages in a specified Discourse category(ies) to specified Github repo issues.

This would allow users familiar with Github to post issues there, and they would be visible to Discourse users, and vice-versa.

Possible use case

I am a Yunohost user who has tried to install Yunohost.

I am familiar with basic sysadmin tasks - installing an OS on a machine, upgrading packages, removing packages, following configuration guides.

When I report issues/bugs, I’m not familiar with the defined structure an clear structure needed. Often my issues need some over-and-back between me and the more experienced people in the project.

I’ve come across a problem, and need help. I don’t have a Github account.

I want to post a message in the forum.

Positive outcomes

If this plugin allows Github issues and forum support issues to be unified it:

  • Yunohost users can post in either GH or the forum and their message can be responded to in either
  • the Yunohost contributors and maintainers have only one place to look at issues (which ever they like! :slight_smile: )
  • Yunohost users are not confused about “where do I post my message??”
  • the YNH/help page gets simpler

Next step

Someone with forum admin rights install the plugin and see what is actually possible with it.

I’m happy to help, test configure things.

Thoughts? Criticisms?

2

This could be a good idea. Personnaly I often hesitate where I should post my problems : in the forum, or in github/yunohost or github/yunohost-apps/abc-ynh

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3

Hi @nath5394,

Glad you think it’s a good idea.

Personnaly I often hesitate where I should post my problems : in the forum, or in github/yunohost or github/yunohost-apps/abc-ynh

Interesting, that’s exactly why I was thinking about this. Can I ask you - how do you make that decision - where I should post my problems? - ?

The reason I’m asking is, I’m working on a design for the YunoHost • index page, and I’m trying to work out - what should the “path to support” be?

@Bram and @Aleks have been very helpful and patient with me giving me their suggestions.

I’m interested in hearing (from everybody who would like to contribute) about how you go about deciding which “channel” you use for what type of problem.

4

These channels are quite open right now, but as both a user and an app packager, I ended up with these criteria:

  • I am available right now for a discussion about debugging my setup or packaging an app, I go on IRC.
  • I am a beginner, and/or I have no idea what my issue is, and I don’t have a GitHub account, I go to the forum.
  • I have a suggestion, or I am experiencing an issue that I know is solely related to the installation/upgrade/removal/etc of an app, I go to this app’s issues on Github.
  • I have a suggestion, or I am experiencing a bug that I know is solely related to YunoHost system, I go to YunoHost issues on Github.

Basically, I would dedicate GitHub issues to technical discussions/issues about the system itself, and leave the forum/IRC for general discussions, and helping users with their issues (that may end up in technical issues on GitHub).

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5

Hi @tituspijean,

Thanks very much for that detailed explanation. :clap:

It also shows that one person can “look” like many users - a user of YNH, and an YNH app maintainer.

I will share the design wireframe I have created shortly and I’ll post a link here. I’d like to get your comments on it.

I’d like to hear from other people too. :+1:

Here’s the wireframe of the YunoHost • index page: