I was using OSS only briefly before github, so at that point at least tools existed: sourceforge, google code, etc. But it was hell. Seriously. The use:contrib

I was using OSS only briefly before github, so at that point at least tools existed: sourceforge, google code, etc. But it was hell. Seriously. The use:contribution ratio was totally skewed. Few people left commentary or filed bug reports when an issue arose, mostly because every project had its own way of handling feedback, and oftentimes you had to separately register or join a mailing list to use it. Pull requests didn't exist, so instead if you were feeling really ambitious you might attach a patch file to the ticket you opened. And then there was the act of creating a project. Google code improved this significantly, but I remember having to file an application to get approved for an OSS project on sourceforge back in 2004. And it was a seriously long application too!