I think that this is a complicated question for two reasons. 1. It probably greatly depends on the open source project. Some developers are probably in tune wi

I think that this is a complicated question for two reasons. 1. It probably greatly depends on the open source project. Some developers are probably in tune with their users while other barely realize that users exist. 2. Some people have a different definition of "listening to their users" than others. Users who want something but don't get it may regard the developer as not listening to them. The developer, on the other hand, may be hearing everything users are asking for, but aren't implementing everything that's requested because it isn't practical or just doesn't fit in with the scope and future plans for the project. A developer can't just throw in everything that users want because the result may be a horrible mess. So even if the developer listens to what users are saying and directs the project in a way that makes sense from a long-term perspective, many users may feel like the developer isn't listening to them. That's really a communications issue. If the developer simply ignores requests because they don't make sense (or makes hostile responses), they're more likely to be regarded as not listening. If their responses are respectful and they post information about their design decisions and how they are implementing certain requested features and why, then they're a lot more likely to be perceived as listening to their users.