How has open source software documentation made a project truly usable for you?

[George.J]

Open source software thrives on community, but the most valuable contribution isn't always code. What's one example of excellent documentation, support, or project management that made an open source tool truly usable for you?

[PaisleyD]

One tool stood out because the getting started guide was friendly and included real world examples plus a couple of runnable projects It let me ship a first feature in a few hours instead of days

[OliviaDM]

Supportive maintainers who answer questions patiently and link to current docs made a huge difference A clear contribution guide and good issue templates turned me from lurker into a stable contributor

[David98]

A visible roadmap and regular releases helped us plan adoption across teams When priorities and timelines are clear you can align work and avoid surprises

[MilaMG]

Docs that spell out common use cases performance notes and gotchas saved us from costly missteps A living cookbook of examples kept the team moving

[Ethan.W]

Short onboarding videos or a simple notebook showing how to wire the tool into a real project can do the heavy lifting This kind of practical content is part of open source software 2025 trends