What's the difference between won't fix and backlog?

Backlog means a bug you intend to fix eventually but not now, it's deferred, awaiting its turn behind higher-priority work, still on your list of things to fix. Won't fix means a bug you've decided not to fix at all, it's closed, not postponed, because it's genuinely not worth fixing. Backlog defers; won't fix closes. Using them correctly keeps your bug list honest about what you'll actually do.

Why does distinguishing won't fix from backlog matter?

Because it keeps your bug list honest. A backlog full of bugs you'll never actually fix is misleading, it looks like a mountain of intended work and obscures the bugs you genuinely plan to address. Marking the genuinely-not-worth-it bugs won't fix clears them out, so your backlog reflects real intended work and your won't-fix decisions are explicit. This honest separation makes your prioritization and your sense of remaining work accurate rather than cluttered.

Won't Fix vs Backlog

Q: When should I mark a bug won't fix versus backlog it?

Backlog a bug when you intend to fix it eventually but it's lower priority than current work, it's deferred, not dismissed. Mark it won't fix when you've decided it's genuinely not worth fixing: affecting very few players in rare conditions, costing far more than the benefit, or an edge case no one realistically hits. The test is intent: backlog if you'll get to it, won't fix if you've decided you won't, made deliberately with impact data.

Quick answer: Backlog means a bug you intend to fix eventually but not now; won't fix means a bug you've decided not to fix at all. Backlog defers; won't fix closes.

Won't fix and backlog are two ways to handle a bug you're not fixing right now, but they mean different things: one is 'later', the other is 'never'. Using them correctly keeps your bug list honest. Here's the comparison.

What the Backlog Means

Putting a bug in the backlog means you intend to fix it eventually, just not now, it's deferred, not dismissed. The backlog holds lower-priority bugs you'll get to when higher-impact work is done. A backlog bug is still 'open' in spirit: it's on your list of things to fix, awaiting its turn.

Bugnet's impact ranking helps you order the backlog so the highest-priority deferred bugs surface when you're ready for them. The backlog is for bugs worth fixing but not urgent, a holding area for future work, distinct from bugs you've decided not to fix at all.

What Won't Fix Means

Marking a bug 'won't fix' means you've decided not to fix it at all, it's closed, not deferred. Won't fix is for bugs that genuinely aren't worth fixing: affecting very few players in rare conditions, costing far more than the benefit, or edge cases no one realistically hits. It's a deliberate decision to close, not postpone.

Bugnet's impact data lets you mark won't fix confidently, you can see a bug is genuinely not worth it. Won't fix removes a bug from consideration entirely, which keeps your active list and backlog honest by clearing out things you'll never actually do.

Why the Distinction Keeps Your List Honest

The distinction matters for an honest bug list. A backlog full of bugs you'll never actually fix is misleading, it looks like a mountain of intended work. Marking the genuinely-not-worth-it ones won't fix clears them out, so your backlog reflects real intended work and your won't-fix pile reflects deliberate decisions.

Bugnet lets you triage bugs to either state, so your lists stay meaningful. So distinguish them: use the backlog for lower-priority bugs you intend to fix eventually (deferred), and won't fix for bugs you've decided not to fix at all (closed), which keeps both your backlog and your decisions honest rather than letting un-fixable bugs clutter your intended-work list.

Backlog means a bug you'll fix eventually (deferred); won't fix means one you've decided not to fix at all (closed). Use the backlog for lower-priority bugs you'll get to, won't fix for ones not worth it, to keep your list honest.