Using open source projects

Every now and then you run into a task that you suspect has already been solved by others. If your problem is not very specific, chances are that you'll find several open source projects tackling the same (or a very similar) problem. Deciding between these projects is not easy, but this short checklist may help. We provide example links for the Akka toolkit.

• Check out the commit history. If the latest change was committed two years ago, the project is probably not maintained anymore.
• Check the issues page/bug tracker. It's not a problem if the project has many open issues as long the contributors are actively discussing these. (Some of the open issues may be feature requests).
• Check if the project has a roadmap. You may find that the features you require will only be implemented in next year's release.
• Check other communication channels: most projects have either a mailing list or a forum (in rare cases, they have both). The traffic on the mailing list is a good indicator of the momentum behind the project.
• Look for users of the project. It's a good sign if the project's webpage displays Fortune 500 company logos. However, this does not imply that the project will not have any bugs or miss trivial features.
• Check the project's activity on OpenHub, e.g. https://www.openhub.net/p/akka

A more detailed guide is available at http://opensource.com/life/14/1/evaluate-sustainability-open-source-project.