If we had an "issue" tracker rather than a bug tracker, I'd expect a lot more unproductive bickering.
This I disagree with. It wouldn't be any worse than we have now. An issue tracker (if it is a good one) becomes the forum, whether you use an email or web interface. So expect at least as much banter as there is on lists but with a much easier management interface.
We can argue about if it's actually an easier management interface ;)
I'd agree with Robert in that it will cause some more such bickering -- but only because the discussions become visible to a new group of people as well. That's not necessarily a bad thing. But thinking that having such an issue tracker is actually going to help *get rid of* the pointless part of things is a nice dream, but just a dream. The only advantage I can see of it is to increase the visibility of them.
