I&#x27;m getting downvoted by people who don&#x27;t like the reality, I guess; I&#x27;m just pointing out the truth as I have experienced it myself.<p>About what you said, most projects, if not all, will be struck by hordes of users asking for all kinds of things, some of them will be reasonable, some of them will not. Never hesitate to say NO to a user, even if he&#x27;s written a patch already. Never merge things out of pity.<p>Another important thing: if the project grows large enough, it&#x27;ll attract collaborators that, despite their best intentions, screw up often. Obviously you must be friendly towards them, but be sure to make it clear when they&#x27;ve screwed up.<p>You will also find collaborators that not only screw up often, but also defend themselves and think they are always right. Do not hesitate to make it clear that that&#x27;s not the place for such behaviour and if they don&#x27;t improve kick them out, outrightly or in a subtle way.