"A distribution occupies a very specific niche in the free software ecosystem. Among other things, we need to accept some responsibility for ALL the software defects ('bugs') that users actually experience across the entire stack. Most users don’t install their apps from upstream source tarballs, they install them from the packages provided by their distribution. So when they experience a bug, they don't know if it’s a bug introduced by that distribution, or a bug in the underlying upstream code. They don't know, they don't care, and they shouldn't have to. More often than not they will report the issue to their distribution, and the way we respond to it is important, because it represents an opportunity to make the whole ecosystem more robust.
"I had a lecturer who was very opposed to the use of the term 'bugs.' He said that the term 'bug' was a cute-sification for 'nasty biting insect,' and similarly, software defects have potentially serious consequences, so we shouldn't treat them lightly..."
