[swatcoder]

First, most users are indeed finding open source software by searching around by keyword and assessing top hits on their own. Most developers don't have a sense of how to promote their project effectively if they wanted to. Marketing of any sort only plays a role in the most high profile projects, many of which are commercially sponsored.

Second, even where a developer puts some legwork into letting the world know what they've shared, that effort is within the context of the project's license terms which almost universally make it explicit and clear that they profer no such obligation.

Tweeting "I made this thing, check it out!" does not soemhow absolve the user from reading the license on that thing and understanding that no promises are made.

[ozim]

Yes simply - Tweeting "I made this thing, check it out!" - does not make a difference but making rounds on conferences posting about library project, making discord or slack for the project does.

It is then the same as Microsoft/Google or any other for profit company - you also get "software as is" and even if Excel blows up all your data MSFT is not liable for it. But still there is expectation that they will fix bugs that blow up someones data.

[AlexeyBrin]

> It is then the same as Microsoft/Google or any other for profit company - you also get "software as is" and even if Excel blows up all your data MSFT is not liable for it. But still there is expectation that they will fix bugs that blow up someones data.

The thing is I pay for for Excel so I expect and demand them to fix their bugs! If I use an open source library for free I have no right to demand them anything, I can hope they will fix their bugs, I can contribute and fix the bugs myself if I can, but I have no right to the developers time or attention.