This Bugzilla instance is a read-only archive of historic NetBeans bug reports. To report a bug in NetBeans please follow the project's instructions for reporting issues.

Bug 215021 - Work-arounds for bugs like "Insufficient memory to compile" should require minimal user intervention
Summary: Work-arounds for bugs like "Insufficient memory to compile" should require mi...
Status: NEW
Alias: None
Product: ide
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Code (show other bugs)
Version: 7.2
Hardware: PC Mac OS X
: P3 normal (vote)
Assignee: issues@ide
URL:
Keywords: USABILITY
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2012-06-30 17:19 UTC by theosib
Modified: 2012-07-17 17:57 UTC (History)
0 users

See Also:
Issue Type: ENHANCEMENT
Exception Reporter:


Attachments

Note You need to log in before you can comment on or make changes to this bug.
Description theosib 2012-06-30 17:19:36 UTC
When the IDE reports "Insufficient memory to compile", we're directed to this page:

http://wiki.netbeans.org/LowMemoryToIndexRoot

Here, we find instructions for the user to edit an obscure text file and add an obscure setting to an obscure configuration string.  This is a MAJOR usability problem.

For something that arises often enough to have a FAQ entry, NetBeans really should do something automatically or nearly automatically to fix the issue.  At worse, the IDE should ask the user if they want the VM memory cap adjusted, and then the IDE makes the adjustment and then restarts itself.

There are multiple reasons why this is a usability problem:

- The location of the config file is different on different platforms.
- The settings are overwritten every time the user installs a new version of the IDE.
- Settings like this are often confusing and easy to screw up.
- Making settings like this often simply do not work.

I've been asked several times, in the course of chasing down a bug, to make settings changes like this, and despite following precise instructions, there was no effect.  Either the instructions were wrong, or the feature is broken.  Either way, the user should not have to mess around with something so error-prone.
Comment 1 theosib 2012-06-30 17:20:24 UTC
BTW, the ONLY time that the user should have to edit the config file is for debugging purposes.  Certainly not for something this routine.
Comment 2 Petr Somol 2012-07-13 07:47:35 UTC
I agree that some ways of streamlining user experience in this regard would be better considered.