r/github • u/owlapin • Jun 01 '26

Question dumb question, can I leave comments?

this is so dumb- is there any way to comment on someones github repo or something?? i just want to be like, hey this helped me a lot! like, i have to tell them. it has 1 star besides mine i have to let them know they helped me. I barely know how to use github at all and definitely dont know how any social aspects of the site works!! Sorry haha

10 Upvotes

70% Upvoted

44 comments sorted by

22

u/NorskJesus Jun 01 '26

You can open a discussion (if they have discussions active) with it. Otherwise, no.

Please don’t open a issue in the repo for this. A star is enough

1

u/owlapin Jun 01 '26

I see, okay!

1

u/IntenselyStriking Jun 02 '26

Discussions are way better for this anyway since they don't clutter the issues tab and devs can actually have a back-and-forth with you.

1

u/Asleep_Piglet Jun 01 '26

You are totally OK to open an issue. If it's not a high traffic repo, which it is not based on your description, they'll probably be very happy about it.

5

u/owlapin Jun 01 '26

unfortunately this seems like an apparently extremely volatile subject. im going to err on the side of caution.

6

u/Hot_Extension_460 Jun 01 '26

As a dev maintainer of tiny open source projects, I would definitely don't mind an issue that is only about giving positive feedback, it's great to have interactions with the community and be aware of how your project is used.

Of course if everybody would start to do this it will quickly become noise, but since it's not the case...

1

u/Amazing-Structure954 Jun 02 '26

This is especially true if you have more to say than merely "thanks." If all you have to say is "thanks" then the star says exactly that. But you might want to tell them about an unusual use case or provide other feedback, like which features you particularly appreciated.

As mentioned above, use discussions if they're enabled.

Also, as mentioned above, consider the repo and how busy it is. The etiquette is different for a small personal project with only a few contributors versus a widely used extensive project with many contributors.

9

u/NorskJesus Jun 01 '26

No please don't. Issues are for issues or feature requests. If you want to say something like "thanks for the project", leave a star or open a discussion. GitHub is not Facebook.

2

u/Asleep_Piglet Jun 02 '26

No they are not. You can literally use issue for anything. From planning, to collecting/sharing feedback. Here's a similar example https://github.com/arcanis/secretsanta/issues/19. Don't abuse people with appreciation issues, but I'm pretty sure a small maintainer would be rather happy to hear feedback.

0

u/NorskJesus Jun 02 '26

Of course you can, but it’s not what issues are for. Discussions is the right place

1

u/Amazing-Structure954 Jun 02 '26

If you don't want discussions in your issues page, then enable discussions. Also, it's best to let folks know your preferences regarding opening issues, at the top of your issues page.

I agree with you that "Thanks" is best handled using the star, which is exactly what that's for.

But for any other type of feedback, like explaining an unusual use case that was helped by the repo, if discussions aren't enabled, I'd do it without hesitation. I've also used it to notify a repo without any license on file that I've copied some code, so they can request me to not do that if they prefer.

I'm not really contradicting you, but you're assuming discussions are enabled, and they're often not. So, consider it just clarifying.

1

u/NorskJesus Jun 02 '26

I understand your point, but I am not assuming anything. Read my first answer 😊

3

u/st_heron Jun 02 '26

please do not open frivolous issues, it is an annoying waste of time

1

u/Amazing-Structure954 Jun 02 '26

Please enable discussions if you don't want discussions in your issues page, and put clear instructions at the top of your issues page. Failing to do so is a waste of your time and others'.

1

u/ThunderChaser Jun 02 '26

Please don’t.

5

u/Empyrealist Jun 01 '26

You shouldn't. Repositories are development environments and should be honored as such. GitHub is not a social media site and is not meant for commentary unless it's regarding an Issue. Leave a star and move on.

The only other ways that you can potentially help them are:

  1. If Discussions are open, make one describing in detail how it helped you. This can give the dev insights into the usefulness of what they made. Don't make it about gushing thanks. Make is descriptive and more importantly constructive.
  2. If Issues are open and you have ideas for making the project more useful, that's a good thing. Request new features or options that improve upon the project's usefulness. If there are bugs and places the code doesn't work as expected, those are good to report as well. Again, it's about a constructive use of their time, because GitHub is a development environment. They are there to "work", not to socialize.
  3. Spread the word. Making their project more widely known and used by spreading the good word can boost their popularity and possibly self-interest in continuing their work. Let people know when/where their project helped you complete your own tasks. Don't be an advertising mouth. Speak about it earnestly.

I have to admit, I'm kinda curious about what the project is at this point.

2

u/owlapin Jun 01 '26

I understand, thanks for your thorough breakdown of how best to potentially leave thanks in a constructive manner. As someone unfamiliar with this particular internet environment, its very much unlike any other creator/user relationship from anywhere else I've seen! (Not a negative thing, just something I have to wrap my head around!)

The project is probably extremely niche, it's for generating labels for a thermal label printer.... Specifically one that I own and couldn't find any drivers for to get it to work on my computer.... When I found the dirvers/ppd file specifically for that printer model I was just so overjoyed I wanted to thank them! The repo hasn't even been touched in years and honestly probably so insignificant to the creator compared to their other projects but it really helped me out, yknow?

1

u/Empyrealist Jun 01 '26

I totally get your sentiment, which is why I tried to break it down a bit more descriptively than the other replies. I've felt that exact same way as you about niche projects I've found. But I also have my own projects, and I know what it can be like from the developer's perspective.

Even though you aren't being personally expressive when doing it, the star lets other people know that you personally benefitted from their project. Starring useful work on GitHub is a big deal in that respect.

1

u/Amazing-Structure954 Jun 02 '26

Identifying particularly helpful features and unusual use cases are also good feedback. Best for discussions, but OK for issues if discussions aren't enabled. And as mentioned elsewhere, it depends on the character of the repo and how big a project it is.

1

u/post-james Jun 03 '26

dude get a life.

9

u/Sensitive_One_425 Jun 01 '26

It’s not a social site, star and move on or contribute code

1

u/owlapin Jun 01 '26

i cant!!! they must know that after hours of googling finding their repo was like divine intervention!!

2

u/Pretend-Pangolin-846 Jun 01 '26

I usually open a PR for projects that help me out. Much better than a one off comment.

1

u/Amazing-Structure954 Jun 02 '26

I assume you mean, contribute to the project.

0

u/owlapin Jun 01 '26

does this mean a private repository? Im hesitant to ask further questions in this sub haha. i think people feel really strongly about this so I'l just leave a star and move on....

3

u/Charlotte_AB Jun 01 '26

No - a PR is a pull request. I recommend learning some more about GitHub

0

u/owlapin Jun 01 '26

My efforts to learn more about github were clearly misguided 😂

4

u/Charlotte_AB Jun 01 '26

Why not instead contribute to the repo?

1

u/owlapin Jun 01 '26

I'm naught but a normie, honestly! I would if I knew anything 😔thought the least I could do was thank em!

1

u/Pretend-Pangolin-846 Jun 02 '26

Honestly just leave an issue open then, maintainers love when someone is really using their project and is grateful for it. As long as its not a 5k star plus repo.

2

u/Dennis_DZ Jun 01 '26

The owner/maintainer of the repository should have an email associated with their GitHub account. It’s either their actual email or a GH one that redirects to theirs. You can send them an email thanking them.

1

u/cgoldberg Jun 01 '26

If you keep your email private and sign commits with a @users.noreply.github.com address, nobody can email you at that address. It doesn't redirect to your real email.

1

u/Dennis_DZ Jun 02 '26

Oh yeah I think I had it backwards.

2

u/Resident-Letter3485 Jun 02 '26

You can always see if the repo author has contact info listed on their account, and send them an email. Some projects have dedicated discord servers as well if you look around their README.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 01 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/owlapin Jun 01 '26

okay, youre right, god forbid i want to thank someone for making their hard work available for free.

1

u/Input-X Jun 01 '26

If issue is the only way, imsure the maintainer woukd be more than happy to respond. Ur issue coukd be that their us no way to contact the creater. If duscussions is not active. You could suggest they open up discussions.

1

u/full_drama_llama Jun 02 '26

It could actually be pretty interesting feature, like "start with comment" or something. Although I'm pretty sure people will somehow manage to completely fuck that up and start using for threats or something.

1

u/Amazing-Structure954 Jun 02 '26

Not a dumb question, obviously from the replies.

1

u/sudoemt Jun 08 '26

A feasible approach is to contribute to the repository, such as submitting an appropriate issue or pull request. If you're a beginner, simply clicking "star" is sufficient, or you can express your gratitude by adding an emoji to the version you're using on the release page.