[Townley]

> Beyond that, keep in mind that while donations keep Linux Mint and other distributions afloat, the occasional message of appreciation can be encouraging, and at times personally invaluable.

Exactly. This issue isn't just something that "maintainers deal with"; it's also something that "users can help with".

The next time you install a library that makes your life easier, write someone an email. Star the project on GitHub. Open up a "TODO: Keep Being Awesome" ticket where others can show their gratitude.

Even if you don't have the skills or bandwidth to contribute to a project's development, you can contribute to its morale.

[Bartweiss]

Thanks for this. I'm not sure I've ever done it with devs I don't know, but I absolutely should - especially for small projects.

Come to think of it, there's one random package that quietly solved the most mindbending pdf issues I've ever faced... Sounds like a good first person to drop a thank you note to!

[dhimes]

Great advice.