OpenMage ProjectNov 28, 2023
Daniel Spiewak

Unsolicited advice for open source maintainers: when you start feeling those tendrils of burnout, give yourself permission to hack on something in your project which *doesn't* move the needle. Literally tack into the wind.

You maintain this project because you like the technology, and most of the time OSS burnout comes from the endless Issue queue and not from code. So give yourself permission to enjoy the code for a change.

Or just chill. That's okay too <3

Nov 26, 2023 at 6:05pmWeb
Show threadMichael PilquistNov 26, 2023
@djspiewak I'm working on cats-effect-shell again as a medium for learning https://helix-editor.com
Helix

A post-modern modal text editor.

Show threadDaniel SpiewakNov 26, 2023
@mpilquist I'm almost afraid to ask: what does "post-modern" mean in the context of text editing? Is that when you *don't* build on Electron?
Show threadMichael PilquistNov 26, 2023
@djspiewak I'm pretty sure that means "built with rust” ;)
Show threadDaniel SpiewakNov 26, 2023
@mpilquist What does this say about the Rust Belt region?
Show threadHoward Chu @ SymasNov 28, 2023
@djspiewak absolutely. We're not ants, we're allowed to be interested in other projects too. And to get back to doing things simply because we want to, not because of some misguided obligation to solve other people's issues.
Show threadDanieleNov 28, 2023
@djspiewak that's one of the best advices I've ever heard, thank you for saying it out loud!
Show threadalcinnzNov 28, 2023
@djspiewak Or as I like to keep reminding myself: Its a marathon, not a sprint!
Show threadHaelwenn /элвэн/ Nov 28, 2023
@alcinnz @djspiewak With ability to transform it into a relay when you have fellow maintainers
Show thread✧✦Catherine✦✧Nov 28, 2023
@djspiewak for me the primary two causes of burnout were:
- bad management (solution: quit the company and take the project with me, then talk enough about the founder that no one i know would work for him)
- users that pretended to be bad management (solution: ban them. i did not take this and as a result burned out *really* badly and still cannot touch that particular project despite investing years of my time and tens of thousands of my $ into it)
Show threadhappyborgNov 28, 2023
@djspiewak is saying literally when you mean metaphorically, a sign of burnout? 🤔
Show threadsimesyDec 4, 2023
@djspiewak I have no idea how I would approach maintaining code again. I tend to find clients that interest me and then contribute things for them without any long term obligation. But yeah, you have to start from a point of joy.
Show threadDaniel SpiewakDec 4, 2023
@si The essence of the joy is in creating something for yourself, rather than for someone else.
Show threadaardvarkFeb 4, 2024
@djspiewak dropping the spinnaker and coming about in my flying scot to hack on the secret about box