It’s OK for your open source library to be a bit shitty (2015) (drmaciver.com)

Article summary

The article argues that it's okay for open source libraries to be imperfect, as creating high-quality software requires significant time and resources. The author shares their experience of putting 800 hours into their project, Hypothesis, and notes that not everyone can dedicate that amount of time. The article emphasizes that there is no obligation to provide free labor and that contributors should not feel bad about not meeting high standards. The goal is to encourage people to share their work, even if it's not perfect, as it can still be useful to others.

Main themes

• open source expectations
• free labor
• maintainer responsibilities
• contributor gratitude
• project boundaries
• community dynamics

What commenters say

• Some people feel that maintainers have a responsibility to address issues and respond to feedback, even if they are not being paid.
• Others argue that maintainers are not obligated to provide free labor and should not be expected to respond to every issue or request.
• The tone and audience of a project can greatly impact the type of feedback and requests that contributors receive.
• Some contributors feel that their time and effort in reporting bugs or creating pull requests is not valued or respected by maintainers.
• Maintainers should be able to set boundaries and prioritize their own needs and goals, without feeling guilty or obligated to others.
• The open source community should focus on being grateful for the contributions that are made, rather than expecting more from maintainers.
• Disabling issues or limiting feedback can be seen as rude or unhelpful, but may be necessary for maintainers to manage their time and energy.
• Contributors should be aware of the potential for entitled or demanding behavior from users and be prepared to set boundaries or ignore requests as needed.