Top ten reasons why I won't use your open source project • Hacker News Board

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

#11

Post by orangecat » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 5:09 PM UTC

TomOfTTB wrote: post #5

dhimes wrote: post #2

#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 ...

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 tel…

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.

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

#12

Post by amh » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 5:09 PM UTC

6. You don't have a Twitter Account

Seriously? This would never in a million years have crossed my mind as a reason to avoid using something.

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

#13

Post by nowarninglabel » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 5:09 PM UTC

TomOfTTB wrote: post #9

davidw wrote: post #3

My, that comes across as a bit preachy. You get something for free . So what if it doesn't have a twitter account associated with it. The important things are 1) does it do what I need 2) is there a good community and 3) is the licensing clear, and compatible with my needs.

Perhaps but he's preaching against the very attitude you have which is "you're getting this for free so you'll take what you get and like it" If you're someone writing an open source project you're wasting your time if it goes completely unused. So even as an open source developer you're still trying to sell your project to people. You're just giving it to them at a VERY reasonable price. So what he's saying is all t…

You are not wasting your time if you learn something.

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

#14

Post by avree » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 5:10 PM UTC

Although the headline kind of loads the answer, and sets the whole tone at a preachy level, his feedback is good - if you want to drive attention/usage of your open source project, you have to put in a minimal amount of marketing.

If that's not something you're worrying about, ignore the article.

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

#15

Post by shortlived » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 5:11 PM UTC

TomOfTTB wrote: post #5

dhimes wrote: post #2

#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 ...

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 tel…

> 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.

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

#16

Post by netherland » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 5:11 PM UTC

amh wrote: post #12

6. You don't have a Twitter Account Seriously? This would never in a million years have crossed my mind as a reason to avoid using something.

Not a reason not to use. A reason I might have found you in the first place.

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

#17

Post by kunjaan » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 5:13 PM UTC

If you don't use an open source project because they don't have a Twitter page or they don't have a domain name or gasp they don't reach out to you then you are going to miss out on really solid pieces of work. I don't think marketing prowess is something that should impede you from using these projects. On a lighter note I am imagining Stallman reading this.

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

#18

Post by JoeAltmaier » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 5:16 PM UTC

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #10

Add: your source has so many accidental dependencies that its agony to extract the bit I need. Actually, I do use open source, even so. Its just lots harder than it needs to be.

To elaborate: if your IP is exhibited with an app, please, please put that IP into a lib, or a separate API. Do NOT blend the app with the lib e.g. do not mix in dialogs, command line stuff or even platform calls if possible.

I do embedded work a lot, and it doesn't have any of that, or its so different as to be unrecognizable.

IP examples: encryption, protocols, file format interpreters, translators. I (and very probably others) need your magic code 'naked'.

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

#19

Post by michaelcampbell » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 5:18 PM UTC

netherland wrote: post #16

amh wrote: post #12

6. You don't have a Twitter Account Seriously? This would never in a million years have crossed my mind as a reason to avoid using something.

Not a reason not to use. A reason I might have found you in the first place.

Perhaps, but the title is specifically "won't use".

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

#20

Post by davidw » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 5:20 PM UTC

TomOfTTB wrote: post #9

davidw wrote: post #3

My, that comes across as a bit preachy. You get something for free . So what if it doesn't have a twitter account associated with it. The important things are 1) does it do what I need 2) is there a good community and 3) is the licensing clear, and compatible with my needs.

Perhaps but he's preaching against the very attitude you have which is "you're getting this for free so you'll take what you get and like it" If you're someone writing an open source project you're wasting your time if it goes completely unused. So even as an open source developer you're still trying to sell your project to people. You're just giving it to them at a VERY reasonable price. So what he's saying is all t…

> you're getting this for free so you'll take what you get and like it

That's putting words into my keyboard. I think most of it is reasonably good marketing advice, and some of the items listed are horrible reasons to not use something.

The title is the problem, really. If it were something like "how to help people find your open source project" it would all fit into place much better.