Sure if you browse by github but in my use of the site over the years I go to the repo from the webpage of the project or from another source such as a link from a blog or something.

I never went with a software project from random scrolling. It has no value to me if it doesn't meet a need I have right now.

No contributor is going to be good that doesn't use it.

Yes. You corrected a dyslexic. Well done.

That is more down to poor marketing. Here on Lemmy or reddit there are big open source communities where you can extol the values of it.

From a pragmatic standpoint, yeah it would accomplish that goal. However, that discounts the intended purpose of the stars, which is to represent an individuals attribution of personal value and trust. They lose significance and become misleading if you can buy them, which holds true even for good software. When we see a github star is should represent someone who has used the software, finds value in it or who respects and trusts the project.

Just trying to play a little devils advocate. Not saying that its ethical to do it, but if morals/ethics don't play a part in the decision, it could prove useful. Besides, I'd imagine that its already being extorted pretty heavily if there's that much competition for sellers, hah.