Stop Misusing Open Source Contributions!

Baruch Odem pointed me to a concerning trend: people are making pointless pull requests just to claim they’ve contributed to open source. Let me be clear: that’s not what I’m here to support!

Contributing to open source is more than just actions on GitHub. It’s not a shortcut; it’s a commitment. It requires discipline, effective time management, and the ability to assert yourself. These skills enable you to join a project, identify how you can make a real difference, and, hopefully, make a meaningful contribution.

For a deeper look into the misuse of open source contributions, consider the Express.js Spam PRs Incident. This event, triggered by a popular YouTube tutorial, led to a flood of spam PRs on the Express.js project repo, underscoring the pressure on job seekers to contribute to open source in any way possible. Read more about it here: Express.js Spam PRs Incident Highlights the Commoditization of Open Source Contributions.

If you’re genuinely interested in making a difference, I invite you to join the Maakaf community. Together, we can advance the open source movement in Israel.