bugs.debian.org is key infrastructure for the project; yet it's something people are very unfamiliar with. This talk will briefly cover the basic features of debbugs, then move onto the overall architecture of the database with both an historical view of the load the Debian BTS is put under, and with a view to writing simple hacks to get more out of the BTS than the bugs.debian.org interfaces provides. In the second half of the talk, it will discuss the layout of the code, with a view to understanding how to add features to this particular legacy codebase, with some live examples. Extra time will be spent talking about particular new features of the BTS and how they can be implemented.
Qualifications: I'm on the debbugs team, and introduced a bunch of new features, such as the CGI scripts, bug tags, the clone command, and the design of the forthcoming version tracking support.
