Need for an alternative, simplified, issue query mechanism

I am a dedicated user of OpenOffice, especially the word processor and 
spreadsheet.

I am also a programmer with 15 years of experience.

I am not deeply involved with the development of OpenOffice, but I am conscious 
of problems here and there and am capable of reporting them concisely.

I therefore want to use IssueTracker to query the issue database in an 
extremely straightforward way to see if anyone, at any time, raised an issue 
about some problem I have found. If a relevant issue exists then I won't raise 
a new issue, regardless of the existing issue's internal status, who is dealing 
with it etc. I just want to find out if I have found something new. If it is 
new I will open a new issue and report it.

The problem is with the query page. It is a nightmare of obscurity and details 
which make no sense for someone who is not deeply involved in the development 
process. I understand that for those involved in this process this page must be 
a very useful tool, but for those outside this process it is an impenetrable 
jungle!

Why can we not have a simplified issue query page based on the new issue pages, 
in which the potential issue reporter provides the same basic information as on 
those pages, but is asked for a Search Expression (some relevant words) instead 
of a Summary and Description.

The state of an issue is not important for a potential issue reporter. He just 
wants to know if the issue has been identified.

My bet is that a simplified issue query mechanism could considerably reduce the 
number of duplicate new issues.