Top 3 Favorite Open Source Projects?

Tough question right?! Before getting into my list, some background:

Sindre Sorhus came up with an interesting use for GitHub. You can fork a repo, and nearly instantly have your own AMA page using issues. Simple concept, but lots of fun!

I decided to give this a go and received a really great question from Una Kravets.

I gave it a bit of thought and came up with four Top 3 lists. I’d like to share because I’m interested in what others think of this question:

What are You Top 3 Favorite Open Source Projects?

Feel free to share here or on my AMA question above as a comment. (Or just write your own blog post!) Anyway, here are mine right now:

My Favorite Projects to Work On

1. RoundhousE – I’ve been using RH for a long, long time and it has made my experience working with databases so much nicer! I recently started helping out with maintenance, while challenging, it’s still rewarding to see the project stay alive and healthy.
2. Quiche – This one might only be used by me, but I really like(d) building it and working on it.
3. Cake – This one is still new to me, but it’s been an absolute pleasure working on. Great group of contributors and excellent code/docs/etc.

The Projects I Most Enjoy Using

1. HuBot – My coworkers and I frequently add useful and goofy scripts for HuBot in our HipChat rooms. It’s a lovely API and super easy and fun to work with.
2. React – React has worked very well so far with the projects we build at work. I also really dig the opinions on how the framework should be used, it’s wonderful.
3. Atom – It didn’t take much use of Atom for it to replace all my other editors. I love the power that it gives me and the fact that it’s open source and wildly extensible.

Projects that Have Benefitted Me Most

1. AutoMapper – I’ve been using AutoMapper for years now and it’s made my life better by saving me thousands of unnecessary keystrokes.
2. Fixie – Fixie is the test framework I didn’t know I needed until I started using it on personal projects. I love having the control of testing my code the way I want to.
3. MediatR – A simple project that implements a simple pattern. Like the previous two, this gets out of the way and makes coding more productive and fun.

Projects That Have Helped Others

1. WebApiContrib – A few people got together and built a small library of useful patterns that have tons of downloads (for me anyway). I’m judging by download counts that this is a success. And that makes me happy!
2. Up-For-Grabs.net – I love spreading the OSS love and this site that my friend Keith built is perfect for it. I’m always looking for more ways to share!
3. Formo – This only makes the list because it’s the most popular project that I run by myself. I do like it and still use it so I have to put it in one of these lists.

If you decide to type up your own list(s) I’d love to read it!