Episode 103: GrimoireLab at FreeBSD

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Feb 6, 2025

Guest

Miguel Ángel Fernández

Miguel Ángel Fernández, a data scientist and GrimoireLab contributor, joins Ed Maste, a long-time FreeBSD committer, and Moin Rahman, a seasoned contributor focused on documentation. They dive into how FreeBSD adopted GrimoireLab to manage its extensive bug backlog and optimize project insights. Discussions reveal the integration challenges and how metrics enhancements have improved bug management and community engagement. The guests share personal growth experiences within the open-source community, showcasing the blend of technology and passion.

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ANECDOTE

FreeBSD's Huge Bug Backlog

FreeBSD had over 7,000 open bugs dating back decades, making backlog management overwhelming.
They needed a structured way to assess bug relevancy and take actionable steps for progress.

ADVICE

Start Metrics With Clear Questions

Start with clear questions before diving into project metrics to avoid getting lost in data.
Organize information by product and key bug data fields to tailor dashboards effectively.

INSIGHT

Backlog Management Index Insight

The Backlog Management Index (BMI) shows whether bug closing rate surpasses incoming bugs.
This metric gives a clearer picture of backlog progress than total open bug counts alone.

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CHAOSScast – Episode 103

In this episode of CHAOSScast, host Alice Sowerby welcomes guests Miguel Ángel Fernández, Ed Maste, and Moin Rahman to talk about the FreeBSD Project's adoption of GrimoireLab as part of work commissioned by the Sovereign Tech Agency.

They discuss the FreeBSD Foundation's need to understand their extensive bug backlog and how they leveraged GrimoireLab to gain insights and optimize bug management. The conversation also covers the challenges of deploying GrimoireLab on FreeBSD, resulting enhancements in the GrimoireLab metrics, and the overall benefits seen in managing the FreeBSD project.

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[00:00:45] The guests introduce themselves and share their backgrounds.

[00:03:00] Alice explains the adoption of GrimoireLab by the FreeBSD project, facilitated by Bitergia who Miguel works for, to enhance project metrics and dashboarding capabilities.

[00:04:02] Ed details FreeBSD’s history, it integrated approach to software distribution, and its licensing benefits.

[00:05:50] Miguel describes Bitergia’s role in providing analytics for open source projects through GrimoireLab and how it integrates data from various development platforms.

[00:07:38] Ed discusses the FreeBSD project’s need for better tools to manage its large bug backlog, prompting the adoption of GrimoireLab.

[00:10:57] Alice and Miguel discuss the translation of specific project needs into functional dashboards within GrimoireLab.

[00:15:38] Ed highlights the utility of the Backlog Management Index (BMI) dashboard, which helps assess the effectiveness of efforts to manage and reduce the bug backlog.

[00:18:20] Moin speaks on the practical use of GrimoireLab during bug busting sessions, which helped identify and close outdates or irrelevant bugs.

[00:20:14] Moin explains the challenges and solutions of deploying GrimoireLab on FreeBSD, emphasizing the importance of utilizing FreeBSD’s native capabilities over Linux-based solutions.

[00:24:26] Miguel mentions new features added to GrimoireLab, inspired by their collaboration with the FreeBSD project, improving metrics for bug management.

[00:28:05] Ed provides insights into the patterns of bug response times and highlights the need for proactive management of bugs that are unlikely to be addressed, and Miguel shares his positive thoughts on the community responding to the bugs.

Value Adds (Picks) of the week:

[00:32:10] Alice’s pick is taking a walk in the Black Forest in Germany.
[00:32:38] Ed’s pick is going downhill skiing and taking a trip to a larger ski resort in Ontario.
[00:33:21] Miguel’s pick is starting to learn to play the piano a few months ago with an online course and how rewarding it’s been.
[00:34:17] Moin’s pick is joining the FreeBSD Foundation and the strong sense of purpose it has given him.

Panelist:
Alice Sowerby

Guests:

Miguel Ángel Fernández

Ed Maste

Moin Rahman

Links:

CHAOSS

CHAOSS Project X

CHAOSScast Podcast

podcast@chaoss.community

Alice Sowerby LinkedIn

Miguel Ángel Fernández LinkedIn