I file bug reports. It greatly depends on the person running the project; some are like you describe, or they're incompetent (particularly problematic in non-FO

I file bug reports. It greatly depends on the person running the project; some are like you describe, or they're incompetent (particularly problematic in non-FOSS projects). Those, it's usually pretty clear that you're going to have to weigh "how much do I want this bug fixed" against how painful the process will be. But I've also had maintainers who were very helpful. Recently had to deal with the DST cross-sign expiring, and needed a third-party container to be rebuilt on a later version of Debian. Filed an issue with really nothing more than "Would you mind releasing with a newer version?"¹ and the maintainer had it published within like a day! Greatly made my life easier. So I really want to separate out those maintainers that are doing a stellar job; certainly some merit your criticism, just not all. ¹I didn't have time then to track down the Dockerfile & figure out the required patch. Might have once my time freed up, but the maintainer beat me to it.