I have a simple question:
Would you rather use a plugin that is actively developed by the author(s) or use a plugin that is good in your perspective, but you know that it was last updated years ago and has no active support?
Sign Up to our social questions and Answers Engine to ask questions, answer people’s questions, and connect with other people.
Login to our social questions & Answers Engine to ask questions answer people’s questions & connect with other people.
Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link and will create a new password via email.
Please briefly explain why you feel this question should be reported.
Please briefly explain why you feel this answer should be reported.
Please briefly explain why you feel this user should be reported.
That is a tough call and depends on the circumstances. If you are responsible for a commercial software product you need to keep in mind that you always have to be able to ship product. If you can’t because all the sudden the plugin doesn’t work anymore some piece of the technology stack has changed you might have to face very unhappy customers … In this scenario I would always go for plugins that are in active development/support and then only what is best for my team.
Staying mainstream has also its challenges. Each time you swap a tool, upgrade a piece of your technology stack, you take a risk. It is your responsibility as a software engineer to apply good judgement and then make the right choices.
For non-commercial projects I think it is less of an issue. If the old plugin doesn’t work anymore you are under no obligation to find a replacement on short notice. In this scenario I would typically go for what works best for me.