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Kernel Developers Look At QR Codes For Error Messages

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  • #21
    If it's going to be that big of a monster QR code, we're going to need to ID what QR readers for all phones (Android/iOS) can handle it. Norton Snap for iOS can't.

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    • #22
      Originally posted by Luke View Post
      Any form of automated bug reporting can be dangerous if not done on an opt-in basis.
      I think you're missunderstanding.

      The idea is not to have a crashing kernel automatically post bug reports.

      The idea is to help the average user.
      When facing a crash, the average user will simply type the error message into google to try to find a solution. (and will usually be directed to stackexchange in the process). Or ask about it, with details, on a forum.
      With a kernel crash, when the system stops being usable, the only way to do this is to painstakingly copy by hand, using eyes and keyboard, and hoping not to make a typing error. (Or taking a blurry picture with the smartphone and posting that).
      The point of QR-code is to simplify this step: instead of reading and typing letter-by-letter the error message, you scan a QR-code and get a copy-paste-able version on your smart phone.

      So there's no automatic divulgation information. the point is, for the case where the user has decided to go for a public divulgation any-way, make the information a bit more convenient to precisely copy to a forum/google search/etc.
      I reapeat: it's for cases where the user has already opted to publish information.

      About the "automatic" part:
      - QR codes are currently size-limited. You can't easily pack a whole screen-worth of text information inside a single QR-Code.
      - One possible way is to use compression. The QR-code doesn't contain the actual text. But a Bzip-ed (or XZ-ed) stream of the text. Scan the code and you get the compressed stream (while still fitting within the QR-code size limit). Then you need to decompress it to get the actual text to put into your google search/forum post.
      - subsequently, one possibility though about, is having the compressed-code be presented as an URL. QR-Code scans give out an addree like "https://kernel.org/qr?z=" followed by a base64-encoded compressed stream. If the user choses to follow this link [again, that's a user who at that point has already decided to submit the error message to google or post it publicly on a forum. At that point the only thing is that the user doesn't want to manually type the message, but want to get help in copying the text] kernel.org will do the decompression and provide the copy-pasteable form on the screen. The user only scans the QR code and follows the link, no complicated decompression step is required (but still doable for power-users)
      - and thus because message will go through a page located at kernel.org, it's possible that this QR-code-decompressing page could also gather bug statistics. That's the extent of "automatic" that is talked about here.

      Remember, this only concerns users who *DO* want to put this message publicly.
      - If they weren't scanning the QR-code, these users would be slowly typing the message into google caracter by caracter.

      If the computer contains confidential data, nothing happens:
      - when crashing, the kernel will never ever auto-publish any bug report.
      - the user simply doesn't want to divulge anything, and thus doesn't copy anything from the screen, nor does scan the QR code.
      - thus no security breach happens.

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      • #23
        By the way, the thing you can scan from this article is here:

        zxing.org seems to decode it fine, and it links to https://oops.kernel.org/?qr=(lots of numbers and letters here). So the data is compressed. Though I can't open the URL itself, as it says the server just infinitely redirects to itself. Maybe due to the watermark?

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        • #24
          Originally posted by GreatEmerald View Post
          By the way, the thing you can scan from this article is here:

          zxing.org seems to decode it fine, and it links to https://oops.kernel.org/?qr=(lots of numbers and letters here). So the data is compressed. Though I can't open the URL itself, as it says the server just infinitely redirects to itself. Maybe due to the watermark?
          QR has error correction build in, the watermark most likely has no ill effect but the url probably isn't real atm

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          • #25
            Originally posted by AJenbo View Post
            QR has error correction build in, the watermark most likely has no ill effect but the url probably isn't real atm
            Yes, the URL is only a concept at the moment. The back-end on kernel.org is not ready yet and the work has not yet begun on that either.

            Cheers,
            Levente Kurusa

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            • #26
              I'm betting Lennart Poettering is behind this...

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              • #27
                Because it's a good idea?

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