Ask HN: How to engage users in an open source project and when to stop?

Ask HN: How to engage users in an open source project and when to stop?
Image credit: Hacker News
Source: Hacker News

Ask HN: How to engage users in an open source project and when to stop?

I have been working on an OS project for years now, on and off, taking it back up for the last few months and giving it a good boost lately with AI. It has a super niche user base in quantitative finance.I really enjoy working on it, and although I get contacted every now and then by people who are using it or are interested in using it, and those are really interesting users, I always think I am wasting my time. It has been 8 years now since I started.I guess my questions are: is it worth it?

Key Points

  • I have been working on an OS project for years now, on and off, taking it back up for the last few months and giving it a good boost lately with AI.
  • It has a super niche user base in quantitative finance.I really enjoy working on it, and although I get contacted every now and then by people who are using it or are interested in using it, and those are really interesting users, I always think I am wasting my time.
  • It has been 8 years now since I started.I guess my questions are: is it worth it?

Published: August 20, 2026 5:09 pm


Source: Hacker News

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