[ESS-bugs] Enhancement request: When submitting ESS bug report, <send report> command not visible

[Steven McKinney]

Issue 1: Send command
----------------------

When submitting a bug report via Emacs macro ess-submit-bug-report,
the information on the 'send' command (C-c C-c) appears briefly
in the Minibuffer, but disappears as soon as the user sets focus
in the *mail* buffer.  I missed seeing the command the first time
I tried to submit a bug report automagically, and had to fire up
other emacs sessions to track it down.

Enhancement request:
Could you modify the ESS-bugs web page to include C-c C-c submission
information?  e.g.

Using ESS-bugs
To send an ESS bug report, you could send email to ess-bugs at stat.math.ethz.ch BUT
we strongly recommend you use M-x ess-submit-bug-report instead! (C-c C-c to send
the email when you are finished.)

or something along these lines.

Perhaps add it in the email text as well, e.g.
"-- text follows this line -- --(C-c C-c to submit) --"

Issue 2:  Getting the mail out:
-------------------------------
I must say the ESS bug submission via Emacs is very well done
and other than the final submission command information, is
really easy to use.  Since all the information about the bug
is readily available within emacs buffers, it is much easier
to submit a bug report this way.

However, ess-submit-bug-report does currently rely on some
exterior mailer to handle the mail, which has thwarted my
efforts to use ess-submit-bug-report.  From my Apple Mac,
the final C-c C-c invokes Apple's email program.  Since
I have no Mac email account, the message is never sent.
Another attempted submission from a new cluster compute node 
behind a firewall also failed.
Is there any way for the ess-submit-bug-report machinery
to test that the mail mechanism is working, or to send
the information in some other way to ESS-bugs?
 
(This email generated by copying unsent emails into
M$ exchange server web email :(     
)


Best regards
Steven McKinney

Emacs  : GNU Emacs 22.0.50.1 (x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu, X toolkit)
 of 2006-10-24 on rocks1.cluster.bccrc.ca
Package: ess-mode 5.3.3

current state:
==============
(setq
 ess-language "Initial"
 ess-dialect nil
 ess-ask-for-ess-directory t
 ess-ask-about-transfile nil
 ess-directory nil
 ess-keep-dump-files "always"
 ess-source-directory "/tmp/"
 )
[ess-site.el]: ess-customize-alist=nil 
[ess-site.el _2_]: ess-customize-alist=nil 

--5138C52368.1161971549/rocks1.cluster.bccrc.ca--



Steven McKinney

Statistician
Molecular Oncology and Breast Cancer Program
British Columbia Cancer Research Centre

email: smckinney at bccrc.ca

tel: 604-675-8000 x7561

BCCRC
Molecular Oncology
675 West 10th Ave, Floor 4
Vancouver B.C. 
V5Z 1L3
Canada