I think the github repos are not relevant in hiring for most applicants, usually are good only as an info to have a card to start a conversation about some topi

I think the github repos are not relevant in hiring for most applicants, usually are good only as an info to have a card to start a conversation about some topic the applicant is expected to be somewhat proficient. Why would I want SO help for a language? Why is SO help needed for a language? Maybe it is just me, but I find SO largely overrated. Does it sound like a good business decision when starting a project: Let's use JavaScript, as there is a lot of StackOverflow help(?) about that language! I want to solve problems with a project, and for this the language is mostly irrelevant, and the help about the language is even more irrelevant. I won't have solutions for my problem, modeling it, solving it. The ecosystem is more relevant, but on SO the ecosystem related questions are usually killed off by the mods, as not being proper questions, so usually blogs with benchmarks or opinion pieces are more useful, yet those are not factored into this measurement. When starting a project do I want to make a project to have many contributors? Personally I start projects to solve problems, not to attract people, though I work in the software industry, not in entertainment. Sarcasm apart: If the project solves a problem for lots of people, it will surely attract contributors, even if it is done in a mildly popular, but not esoteric language. If I'd find a project in perl which is useful for me, and would need to hack some on it, I might even pick up some Perl to do it, and contribute it back. If a project is not useful, it can be written in however popular language, nobody will use it. The next point is valid, I said huh, when I saw that C is still kicking. Discover new languages? If I have never heard of them, that is probably for a reason. There are way more than being useful. Knowing a few (practically one from every paradigm, and some popular ones) on a basic level, and 1-2 at a good, one at advanced level is enough. Missing a few esoteric languages will likely not have an impact on my career.