gogoprotobuf: How NOT to run an open source project - Walter Schulze

Learn from the mistakes of the gogoprotobuf project's tumultuous journey as Walter Schulze shares 30 hard-earned lessons on how not to run an open source project, from maintaining responsibility to fostering community involvement.

Key takeaways
  • Don’t open source your project if you can’t maintain it.
  • Don’t attach value to the number of stars your project has.
  • GitHub is not your CV.
  • Don’t obsess over your GitHub profile.
  • Don’t make it hard for yourself to maintain your project.
  • Don’t burn out by trying to do everything yourself.
  • Don’t try to do too much at once.
  • Don’t make it hard for others to contribute to your project.
  • Don’t make the same mistakes over and over again.
  • Don’t try to go it alone.
  • Don’t underestimate the importance of community.
  • Don’t make it hard for yourself to ask for help.
  • Don’t be afraid to say no to features that don’t scale.
  • Don’t be afraid to prioritize your own well-being.
  • Don’t let burnout consume you.
  • Don’t let your ego get in the way of progress.
  • Don’t be too proud to ask for help.
  • Don’t let your project become unmaintained.
  • Don’t let your project become a burden.
  • Don’t make it hard for others to understand your code.
  • Don’t make it hard for others to contribute to your code.
  • Don’t make it hard for yourself to test your code.
  • Don’t make it hard for others to test your code.
  • Don’t make it hard for yourself to debug your code.
  • Don’t make it hard for others to debug your code.
  • Don’t make it hard for yourself to maintain your code.
  • Don’t make it hard for others to maintain your code.