Writing a quality bug report is almost certainly more effort than signing up for github.
this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2025
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No Stupid Questions (Developer Edition)
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No, but think of it this way-- creating good bug reports is a valuable type of contribution for open source projects. If you aren't able to fix the issue yourself then it is still appreciated to take the time to write up a good bug report (describe the issue, the expected result, the actual result, and steps to reproduce). So don't let a free account stand in your way π
except the free account on github is lots of work and needs your data. 2FA is required. it's why i deleted my account a while ago. it's just not worth maintaining it any more.
You can use passkeys. 2fa can be done with password managers like 1password.
Surely 2FA being required is a good thing?
for devs, yes, but for reporters? maybe make it optional
Fair, maybe they could make it a requirement only if you have a repository.
It's also lots of work to make free and open source projects, which is why i say good bug reports are a valuable type of contribution. It is a type of contribution. Imo setting up a free account is the least thing someone can do if they use the project.
And anyone who cares about privacy can use junk data and one time email (this should just be standard practice for anyone that cares and why i didn't mention it). 2fa is a small issue too IMO.
I don't particularly care for github either but if a project is on github then that's how the maintainers are expecting contributions--if you want to help in some way, or want your bug fixed, then you'll need an account or try contacting them in other way.
If the maintainer has an email address, you can email them. But realistically, just create an account, with a throwaway email if you must.
AFAIK, there is not.
No, but accounts are free and it's easy to sign up.
It is not easy for privacy-conscious users in my experience. They have gone back and forth multiple times on banning registration/login via tor. And whether it's tor or a common VPN provider, they often will immediately ban you upon first login. Many common private email providers are also blocked. Plus for people that don't want to give anything to Microsoft or their AI training in the first place, it's already a non-starter.
You may be able to find an email address on the GH page. I think that's about the least invasive way to report an issue.
I have similar privacy concerns. I email authors / sites when they have typos. There used to be a blog that required having an ex-Twitter account to contact. I never was able to let them know when they had mistakes. In my experience, most authors appreciate a heads-up to correct a mistake, so that was kinda painful for me.
It's still relatively easy to sign up for a major email provider anonymously.
You don't need to access it through Tor or a VPN to maintain anonymity.
Plus for people that donβt want to give anything to Microsoft or their AI training in the first place, itβs already a non-starter.
The question was about creating an issue. That's going into the AI whether you logged in or not.
Itβs still relatively easy to sign up for a major email provider anonymously.
In my experience, it is actually impossible. Either you get blocked (IP/ASN ban, endless captchas) or it requires SMS confirmation. I have not been able to sign up for any major email provider anonymously. I'm pretty sure that's by design.
Last I tried Outlook/Office.com/whatever it is now was still possible. Obviously don't use a VPN etc.
Or just get a burner phone of you're really that paranoid.
Obviously donβt use a VPN
To me this kinda defeats the point of being privacy-conscious.
Why? There's privacy conscious and then paranoid. Using a VPN to sign up to an email provider you're using to sign up for another website is definitely the latter. What do you think is going to happen?
I know that my ISP sells my data to third parties, so I prefer not to give it to them willingly. I don't consider that paranoid.
I made a burner gmail semi-recently (in past 2.5 years) without giving them a phone number, but things might have changed sinceβ¦
As other said, unfortunately not. You can however sometimes find the email of contributors on their profile. If you can't find it there, they might list another method of contact e.g mastodon or LinkedIn. If not, you can also clone the repository and look at the git log output to retrieve the email. If the email is a "no reply github" email, then you're SOL and the maintainer really doesn't want to be contacted - or wants you to join the monopoly and share your data with Microsoft (something other commentators here seem to encourage π€·).