Isn't the bug squad supposed to triage bugs, get more information, and assemble a coherent bug report for the engineers that resolve then? I think (in theory) we have a system in place that does what you propose. As a user, my expectation is that I *should* be able to file bugs.

What I have found in my limited use of bugzilla is that it is not intuitive for an average user like myself. For instance, I filed an enhancement request (4110) after doing a search within bugzilla for something similar. When I did not see anything like what I was proposing, I filed it. A few days later, I found out it was a duplicate of an existing enhancement request (2819). The terms I had used in my initial search did not pull up this existing request. Furthermore, as I typed in my own request, I was not presented with a list of similar bugs that may have been relevant.

I can offer a few things that would make it easier for end users like myself:

1. As ITT did with new threads, is it possible to present a list of existing bug reports (no matter what the resolution or target was) to the user as he/she starts filing their bug. This will limit the S/N ratio.

2. Perhaps 'bugs' should not be able to be filed until they go through a few hoops first. Just like Canadian 'Laws' start out as 'Bills', perhaps we need something for pre-bugs --> URPs (User Reported Problems)? Once it gets some attention from the triage team, it becomes a bug with sufficient information and clarity that the engineers require. I think this is what you are proposing. I think it is better to do this under the bugzilla guise, rather than in a forum. URPs do not get the attention of the engineers, and anybody can file them.