In many cases, regardless of the quality of the third-party product involved, the only way we can solve an interoperability problem with a third-party product is by working collaboratively with the third-party to solve the issue. This is what we do at Plugfest, as described previously. Between Plugfests (or when the other company doesn’t attend Plugfest) working collaboratively typically entails us arranging a conference call with the third-party’s development team. This collaboration may ultimately result in the third-party changing their product, OSR changing the way FESF works (due to a discovered problem or to accommodate the way the third-party product works), or a combination of these things.
Before we can do this, we will need you or your customer to file a detailed problem report with the third-party product’s vendor. Please pass along the case number of this problem report, and any associated case notes.
Because we’ve been working in the Windows file system field for such a long time, we often have contacts at third-party companies where interoperability problems arise. We’ve had very good luck working with vendors, world-wide, to collaboratively solve problems that are reported to us in this way.
Recommended Strategy: When you report an interoperability problem involving a third-party product to us, always file a bug on the third-party’s product and get us the case number. Also get us any other supporting information that you can provide.