Regarding the package maintenance item, that is just an example of something that was right for the author, not a suggestion for the general public. It was some

Regarding the package maintenance item, that is just an example of something that was right for the author, not a suggestion for the general public. It was something they found useful, used regularly, and happened to be unmaintained. This put them in a position to make a meaningful contribution, beyond padding their work portfolio. This is the whole point of #1. You are in a better position to understand the flaws in software you use, and you have a vested interest in fixing them. Picking a random bug on a random project isn't going to give you the same insight.