Working in Public: The Making and Maintenance of Open Source Software Highlight

Kraut and Resnick emphasize that screening mechanisms aren’t just about “weeding out potential members who are not a good fit for the open source project”; they’re also about “increasing the commitment of those who attain those privileges.”278 Screening mechanisms are a “double-edged sword,” which “may drive away some potentially valuable members who are unwilling to make the initial investment.” Some maintainers cite similar concerns around adding issue templates, checklists, and error messages: they don’t want to deter new contributors by making the process too complicated.