Top ten reasons why I won't use your open source project

Re:Top ten reasons why I won't use your open source project by dhimes on Monday January 31, 2011 @11:54AM (#2162159)

#1,2, and 7: Yes.

The others: not so much. When it matures (jQuery) perhaps worrying about branding is in order. But if you are spending your hours making a tool for me to freely use, I'm ok if your design isn't so pretty. And if you don't want to spend much time on Twitter. And ...

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Re:Top ten reasons why I won't use your open source project by TomOfTTB on Monday January 31, 2011 @12:02PM (#2162194)

I don't think the issue is as much about design as it is about seriousness. Having a homepage for the project, spending some time or money on design and reaching out to the community shows you're committed to the project which will get others to commit. That's the best insurance a user can get against the project being completely abandoned one day.

As someone whose tried to use open source whenever possible I can tell you there's no feeling worse than using an open source component that's been left for dead

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Re:Top ten reasons why I won't use your open source project by orangecat on Monday January 31, 2011 @12:09PM (#2162233)

I can tell you there's no feeling worse than using an open source component that's been left for dead

I'd say using a commercial component that's been left for dead is much worse.

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Re:Top ten reasons why I won't use your open source project by dhimes on Monday January 31, 2011 @02:11PM (#2162736)

It's a good list for "What you should be doing to call attention to your open-source project (when it's ready for prime-time)."

The current title reads like: "this is what you owe me if you want me to look at you." Well, ok, but I don't feel that way. I'll use smaller, humbler projects. But I do agree that in doing so I must be prepared for the day that it is no longer updated and the bugs aren't being fixed. I'd certainly feel more comfortable with projects that met most of the lists' criteria, and would be willing to bet more on them for the long haul. But I would still use smaller projects.

Some things (couchdb) seem riskier than others (php), and some very small projects (php-on-couch) seem quite risky indeed. However, I could pick up and go if php-on-couch stalled, I could probably manage if couchdb stalled, but I would be in trouble if php did.

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Re:Top ten reasons why I won't use your open source project by shortlived on Monday January 31, 2011 @12:11PM (#2162245)

> I don't think the issue is as much about design as it is about seriousness.

You get what you pay for. And your best insurance against the project being completely abandoned is to have the source code.

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