I actually prefer what they're doing. Consider most open source projects. Our involvement with them goes something like: 1. I need feature X 2. I find library

I actually prefer what they're doing. Consider most open source projects. Our involvement with them goes something like: 1. I need feature X 2. I find library WeLoveX 3. Is WeLoveX a good investment for my larger product? 4. Ambiguity happens here The ambiguity happens because I have one prominent indicator: release activity. If it's changing lots, does that mean it's active and a solid foundation? Or does it mean it's actually probably not quite ready for prime time yet and hasn't found stability? On the flip, if there's very little release activity, does that mean it's dead, the developers have moved on and maybe there's something better out there? Or does it mean it just does its job really really well and doesn't need a constant stream of tweaks? It's nice to have a general statement of disposition towards the product by the original authors.