We're actually using Mantis for our projects. Or should I say we try to use.The problem with all bug trackers I know is that they're made by programmers, for programmers. So the design is non existent or totally absurd.Of course, as a programmer, I can use mantis without problem, but how useful is a bug tracker when all the people involved** in a project find them so badly designed and so hard to use that they prefer making Google document with bullet list of the bugs they found or suggestion they might have.I'm about to install a forum, it seem to me like a in the middle solution between a bug tracker and plain bullet list. At least a forum allow to monitor, and to centralize a discussion about a suggestion.In case my concern is not clear, my question can be summarized to:How do you handle you bug&suggestion report toward the non-technical user ?** By involved, I DON'T mean the actual client or the end-user. I'm thinking about our integrator, project managers, and those who are involved with the QA.
How do you handle bug tracking in a manner friendly to programmers and non-technical staff?
issue tracking
We switched from Mantis to FogBugz (and Kiln) earlier this year, but the one thing we didn't change was that we don't let the users have access to the bug tracker at all.  Some of the other department heads have read-only access, but honestly they are managers and they usually forget about it within a couple weeks.  The users of our software all deal with a single troubleshooting guy who determines if it is a configuration issue, user error or a software bug.  This person then acts as the gatekeeper for entering the real issues into FogBugz.  This prevents our system from being cluttered up with issues that aren't really relevant.So to answer your real question....it's not really an issue for us that the bug tracking software is by programmers, for programmers because only programmers utilize it.  Everyone else deals directly with a human.(Note, our product is not shrink-ware and all of our users are direct employees or are working with an employee in the service department.)