Hey everyone,
I recently wrote a mobile-friendly GNU/Linux app called Weights and Measures. It takes a number, and converts it into different units of measurement. I know, it’s not the most advanced thing in the world, but I believe it’s handy enough that more people than myself could use such an app. Personally, I use it to convert my weight from lbs to kilograms.
The thing is, I know that I should publish it, but I feel very demotivated from doing so. Publishing requires effort, so it typically requires a specific motivator. For myself, I used to have much a much stronger stance when it came to free/libre software.
Lately however, I feel very disconnected from any sense of community. I don’t really feel like we are much of a community in the first place. I don’t know a single person in my real life who cares about libre software outside of myself, and online, I feel somewhat jaded, as those who care about libre software seem to be more about worshipping the fungus of Richard Stallman’s feet than they are about the actual libre culture movement.
As such, I can’t decide whether I should keep working on it, or just keep it to myself.
TL;DR: Lonely software developer feels jaded from the libre software community and probably needs to find a way to connect with like-minded folks online.
Reading your post earlier and got me thinking: are there more then one community type? As in …
There are FOSS communities which members find each other for FOSS sake.
But a more divers sort of community often gathers around the application.
For example, the OSMand community consists of cartography enthousiasts AND developers and everyone in between.
Although I like your app (intention and application, no scope creap etc) it doesnt unite users around a common goal. Which doesnt matter much because its still usefull.
Another example would be: Recently a website to convert student tests scores to grades started to ask money. If a FOSS app would provide this the community would consist also of teachers and test grading people.