We're back to the regularly scheduled good content after the rant. Thanks!
Kidding aside, as the author of some minor open source software, and a few things here and there, it's always really nice to receive a note of thanks. Take a moment to do so with that Rails plugin or other little something or other that makes your life easier.
I think a big part of gratitude in the cases like open source software, is that it validates your effort - it's not just that they're being polite to you, it's that they're making it clear they value what you made, that it is worth something to them.
Kidding aside, as the author of some minor open source software, and a few things here and there, it's always really nice to receive a note of thanks. Take a moment to do so with that Rails plugin or other little something or other that makes your life easier.