Tag: advice

2025-02-05

Open source projects don’t exist separately from the outside world

You do your community a disservice when you treat open source as a noble pursuit that’s separate from the noise of daily life.

Categories Posts

2024-12-04

The best way to make a decision is to decide

In most cases, a good decision made quickly is better than a great decision made slowly.

Categories Posts

2024-11-20

ccTLDs are bad for your project

Using a ccTLD puts your project’s infrastructure at the whims of geopolitics. There are plenty of other TLDs to choose from.

Categories Posts

2024-10-09

Open source is not consent for experiments

You can do whatever you want with the code you download. But once you’re writing instead of reading, you need to be a good participant.

Categories Posts

2024-09-18

It’s okay to not do things

Just because you had the idea to do something, that doesn’t mean you’re obligated to do it. Some tasks can be skipped or delayed.

Categories Posts

2024-08-21

Companies: make sustainable contributions

We learned over the past year or two that corporate participation in an open source project is not guaranteed. The contributions a company makes need to be sustainable long after the company stops participating.

Categories Posts

2024-08-07

“Helping” versus being helpful

Every situation is different, so ask “would it be helpful if I _?” When you get agreement on your help, your work will be helpful.

Categories Posts

2024-07-24

A veneer of organization

Building up too much process early is a way to look busy without accomplishing anything. You have to fit it to the community’s need.

Categories Posts

2024-06-05

Public mistakes are a feature of open source

Everyone who is good at something has a trail of [mistakes] in their wake. Open source means sharing the learning experience with others.

Categories Posts

2024-04-24

On “predetermined” outcomes

You’re obliged to listen to the comments in good faith; you’re not obliged to be convinced by them.

Categories Posts