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Should we open source it?

Should we open source it?“Only if someone outside would use it. Ask five of them.”Nora Bell, The User Advocate

💡 WHY NORA IS RIGHT

Engineers open-source what they are proud of, which is not always what anyone else needs. Before publishing, it is worth asking a few developers at other companies whether they have this problem, how they solve it today and what would make them switch. Those conversations shape the README, the defaults and the first examples. A public repo built for imagined users collects stars from people who never install it.

✅ RIGHT WHEN

The tool's outside audience is assumed, not known.

🚩 TOO FAR WHEN

Five interviews became fifty and the launch waits for a persona document.

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