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I sometimes email open source authors to thank them for their efforts, I don't ask for anything, just an email to show gratification. I'm more inclined to go to

by JanisL 7y ago

I sometimes email open source authors to thank them for their efforts, I don't ask for anything, just an email to show gratification. I'm more inclined to go to this effort for the projects that are highly useful but not popular since as an author of such a project it is possible to have doubts if benefits from it when you go a long time with no outside feedback at all. The few times people have contacted us with projects I've worked on has been good for morale. Sometimes this can lead to other unexpected good things like collaborations later on.

knopwob 7y ago
I've never done this myself, but I've been on the receiving end. And I can say that those emails are really appreciated. It's one thing to get stars on GitHub but that's rather impersonal and after a certain threshold nothing special anymore.
prox 7y ago
Especially because some open source projects ecosystems suffer from users who demand the world from the author(s) and throw a tantrum if they ain’t getting it. In those toxic communities it really helps to stand up for the authors and appreciate them, even when they’ve developed thick skins.
cerberusss 7y ago
Exactly, the small projects could be indispensible for someone's daily workflow. A good example is Karabiner-Elements, a keyboard remapper for macOS. The author and his team has been making sure that it works with every yearly update. I've sent him a thank-you note, and now follow up yearly with a donation. https://github.com/pqrs-org/Karabiner-Elements https://github.com/pqrs-org/Karabiner-Elements
etimberg 7y ago
As someone who's received these emails before, they make my day. It's always nice to hear that my work has helped someone.
danesparza 7y ago
I have personally emailed Mitchell Hashimoto (this guy: http://mitchellh.com/ http://mitchellh.com/ ) to thank him for his awesome software. He wrote me back, and was very gracious. This is what it means to be human. Well done!

by JanisL 7y ago

knopwob 7y ago

I've never done this myself, but I've been on the receiving end. And I can say that those emails are really appreciated. It's one thing to get stars on GitHub but that's rather impersonal and after a certain threshold nothing special anymore.

prox 7y ago

Especially because some open source projects ecosystems suffer from users who demand the world from the author(s) and throw a tantrum if they ain’t getting it. In those toxic communities it really helps to stand up for the authors and appreciate them, even when they’ve developed thick skins.

cerberusss 7y ago

Exactly, the small projects could be indispensible for someone's daily workflow. A good example is Karabiner-Elements, a keyboard remapper for macOS. The author and his team has been making sure that it works with every yearly update. I've sent him a thank-you note, and now follow up yearly with a donation. https://github.com/pqrs-org/Karabiner-Elements https://github.com/pqrs-org/Karabiner-Elements

etimberg 7y ago

As someone who's received these emails before, they make my day. It's always nice to hear that my work has helped someone.

danesparza 7y ago

I have personally emailed Mitchell Hashimoto (this guy: http://mitchellh.com/ http://mitchellh.com/ ) to thank him for his awesome software. He wrote me back, and was very gracious. This is what it means to be human. Well done!