I hate the title of this blog post because “putting my foot down” means that I am frustrated and need to make a statement about sustainability in the Webform module’s issue queue. The clown feet represent the two emotions that I feel with regard to maintaining the Webform module. I love helping individuals and organizations in the Drupal community, this interaction makes me happy, but I am frustrated that my work is no longer sustainable, and that makes me sad.

The Webform module and Drupal are free to use, but the time and effort we collectively spend triaging issues, answering support requests, fixing bugs, and adding new features, is not free. Everyone needs to contribute something back to the Drupal community if we want our collaboration to succeed. This is especially so if someone wants help and assistance in the Webform module’s issue queue. It is time to clearly state this requirement in the Webform module’s issue queue to sustain our collaboration.

I recently updated the Webform module’s project page to include several ways to get involved, fund development, join the Drupal Association, or hire me for professional support. I can no longer accept that someone can’t do one of the above. If someone has limited financial means, they can request a free membership to the Drupal Association. Better yet, that can earn a committed credit by helping with documentation or by reviewing a patch.

Addressing the free-rider problem in Webform module’s issue queue

Many blog posts, including a few of my own, discuss the sustainability challenges around open source projects. Right now, I need to solve the free-rider problem in the Webform issue queue.

Free-riders in the Webform issue queue limit my ability to support individuals and organizations who are actively contributing to Drupal and the Webform module. To continue to sustain my work in the…Read More