Open source expectations

Let’s say you want some kind of change to a piece of open source software you use. There are a couple of options available.

• Do it yourself
• Convince someone to do it for you
• Wait for someone to do it independent of your desire

The first option requires the skill to implement the change and the motivation to get it done.  The second requires some kind of leverage, which usually comes in the form of hiring a developer. Still, if you’re not capable of doing it yourself and you aren’t willing to hire someone to do it for you, what option is there but to wait? Open source projects grow on their own and reasonable concerns will likely be addressed in time.

While this seems relatively clear, I’ve seen a fair amount of expectation roughly paraphrased as “why aren’t people making the changes I asked for?” Simply put, the priorities of open source developers are different from those of the users. If patience doesn’t suit, try taking another look at options one or two.