We eventually look at all tickets. But if you go through this quick checklist before submitting the ticket, it will be addressed more quickly.

First, please verify that:

 * Your bug doesn't already have a ticket
 * That your bug is not already fixed in current SVN
 * That this is really a bug, and not a [http://www.mythtv.info/moin.cgi/UserWishList feature request].

If this is a compiling problem, e-mail the users list, then the developer list before adding a ticket. These are often caused by toolchain or dependency problems. Of course, if the problem is only present after a particular recent commit, e-mail the developer list immediately.

Once you've decided to create a ticket:
 * Make sure to assign it to the GoToDev for the broken component.
 * Make sure you attach logs, patches, and backtraces after you create the ticket.
 * If problem causes a SEGFAULT, attach the [http://www.mythtv.org/docs/mythtv-HOWTO-21.html#ss21.2 backtrace] to the ticket.
 * If you submit a patch, make sure it adheres to the [http://www.mythtv.info/moin.cgi/CodingStandards MythTV coding standards].

Tickets are generally not addressed as quickly as e-mails to the developer list, but they ensure that the problem doesn't get completely lost in the noise.

If your ticket gets marked as worksforme or invalid consider this a challenge to improve the bug report. Problems often only occur with a particular setting or with some particular hardware. Figuring out what exactly is causing the problem will make it possible to reproduce the bug, which is the first step in fixing it. If the ticket is marked as invalid rather than worksforme, it probably failed some check on this checklist. Also, don't get into an arguement with whoever closed your ticket. Remember, since this person reviewed your ticket, this is the person most likely to fix your problem.