By name: open-source description: | Workflow for evaluating, adopting, customizing, and managing open source software. Use when: (1) Searching for OSS tools to solve a problem (finding alternatives, comparing options) (2) Evaluating whether an OSS project is worth adopting (health, maintenance, quality) (3) Setting up and configuring a new OSS tool (installation, secrets, initial config) (4) Learning how to use an OSS tool effectively (beyond awful man pages) (5) Customizing OSS to fit personal workflow (theming, flags, integrations) (6) Managing a portfolio of OSS tools (updates, dotfiles, dependencies) Keywords: open source, OSS, github, software selection, tool evaluation, dotfiles, configuration
Open Source Software Workflow
Five phases from discovery to long-term management. Load the phase you need.
Phase 0: DISCOVER → Which tool should I even use?
Phase 1: SETUP → Get it running with my environment
Phase 2: LEARN → Understand the basics efficiently
Phase 3: CUSTOMIZE → Make it truly mine
Phase 4: MANAGE → Keep everything working long-term
Phase Index
| Phase | When to Load | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 0. Discover | Searching for tools, comparing options, evaluating health | phase-0-discover.md |
| 1. Setup | Installing, configuring, handling secrets | phase-1-setup.md |
| 2. Learn | Understanding basics, finding examples, CLI discovery | phase-2-learn.md |
| 3. Customize | Theming, flags, workflows, system integration | phase-3-customize.md |
| 4. Manage | Dotfiles, updates, portfolio tracking | phase-4-manage.md |
Quick Decision Tree
"I need a tool for X" → Load Phase 0
"Is this project healthy?" → Load Phase 0
"How do I install/configure X?" → Load Phase 1
"How do I use X?" → Load Phase 2
"How do I customize X?" → Load Phase 3
"How do I manage all my tools?" → Load Phase 4
"This tool broke after update" → Load Phase 4
One-Liner Commands (No Phase Load Needed)
# Quick health check
gh repo view owner/repo --json stargazersCount,pushedAt,openIssues
# Find others' configs
gh search code "filename:.toolrc" --limit 10
# tldr first
tldr <tool> && curl cheat.sh/<tool>