4 ms·

all of that seems true for most repos on github. At least in my experience. I've spent the last 2 months learning node, checking out npm modules, finding bugs,

all of that seems true for most repos on github. At least in my experience. I've spent the last 2 months learning node, checking out npm modules, finding bugs, seeing the projects abandoned, lots of issue filed, pull requests ignored, etc.. Maybe I've just been unlucky but this hardly seems like an MS specific thing?

Pacabel 12y ago
I think this is partially due to the informality that many GitHub users tend to have with respect to managing their projects. It's rare to see a GitHub-hosted project that offers proper releases, proper planning for those releases, proper documentation, and the organization and project management efforts that enable such things. The lack of such basic project management structure leads to projects that see very erratic development, or outright abandonment. Many GitHub-hosted projects are barely more than a hobby, rather than an ongoing concern. Their code may be somewhat usable, but it's rarely comparable to what we see from more organized projects.
- snogglethorpe 12y ago
  I don't see that as a bad thing. Mostly it seems to be a reflection of how low the barrier to entry is on github. It's easy to get up and running there, so naturally lots of people do, even if it's just a hobby project they work on once a year during Christmas break....
- watwut 12y ago
  Proper release planning for tiny one man fifteen users project is very little planing. Those projects do not get erratic development or get abandoned because they lack "proper planing". That is reversing cause and effect. They lack heavy planing because their development depends too much on free time of one or two people, who have other life priorities. No amount of planning will change that.
lumpypua 12y ago
Easy packaging and distribution is awesome and it's why node's ecosystem has exploded, but tools to filter that down are equally important. A great example of this is djangopackages.com. Looking at thumbnailing packages[2] even though there are a dozen packages, only three are popular. And taking a glance at the commit sparklines only two are under active development. So I know to start with them. [2] https://www.djangopackages.com/grids/g/thumbnails/ https://www.djangopackages.com/grids/g/thumbnails/

Pacabel 12y ago

I think this is partially due to the informality that many GitHub users tend to have with respect to managing their projects. It's rare to see a GitHub-hosted project that offers proper releases, proper planning for those releases, proper documentation, and the organization and project management efforts that enable such things. The lack of such basic project management structure leads to projects that see very erratic development, or outright abandonment. Many GitHub-hosted projects are barely more than a hobby, rather than an ongoing concern. Their code may be somewhat usable, but it's rarely comparable to what we see from more organized projects.

snogglethorpe 12y ago
I don't see that as a bad thing. Mostly it seems to be a reflection of how low the barrier to entry is on github. It's easy to get up and running there, so naturally lots of people do, even if it's just a hobby project they work on once a year during Christmas break....
watwut 12y ago
Proper release planning for tiny one man fifteen users project is very little planing. Those projects do not get erratic development or get abandoned because they lack "proper planing". That is reversing cause and effect. They lack heavy planing because their development depends too much on free time of one or two people, who have other life priorities. No amount of planning will change that.

lumpypua 12y ago

Easy packaging and distribution is awesome and it's why node's ecosystem has exploded, but tools to filter that down are equally important. A great example of this is djangopackages.com. Looking at thumbnailing packages[2] even though there are a dozen packages, only three are popular. And taking a glance at the commit sparklines only two are under active development. So I know to start with them. [2] https://www.djangopackages.com/grids/g/thumbnails/ https://www.djangopackages.com/grids/g/thumbnails/