Hello Unseen, nice to un-see... you on these forums! (SMF = Simple "machine" forums if you want a pun with double cheese.)
Anyway, I am long aware of the points you raise both here and over at *.net. The question is: why won't people use pre-made tools, made specifically *for* their purposes, in favor of rolling their own shitty version that will never be finished? There are a few answers to this that I know of, and I won't dare try to spell them out. Half of the reasons are deeply Freudian. Let me instead zoom right into solution-think.
Speaking from the heart of the peanut gallery, our collective advice to you is to shove the work down our throats. Bulldog it a little more. If we run into trouble, we want you to be *right* there to hold hands. This isn't just the pipe dream of the novice - even the experts want support. (Demanding, I know.) One weird issue is many people feel their questions are too stupid to post publicly on the forums - concerning enough for Odin to *almost* allow for anonymous posting on this site.
Another side point to hit on is website format. [abandoned, outdated and now likely malicious qb64 dot net website - don’t go there] had none, zip, zero. There was essentially no way to keep a project alive beyond bumping it on the forums. A catch-22, because a perfect program speaks for itself, does not need comments, and is then forgotten entirely. The old *.net forums are PACKed with solutions to various things, and today's wave of hobbyists is completely unaware of just how recently their same wheel had been invented. (I don't want to see collision detection discussed any more as an unsolved issue, ever.) Qb64.org solves the problem in spades. What we (mostly Odin) plan to do is showcase various projects front-and-center on the *.org homepage, and if that doesn't flag down enough attention, maybe a special spot on the front of the Forums page as well.
Of all the long-term QB64 projects out there, I can hardly name anyone beyond Fellippe whose projects belong on the front page. That is, besides you. GDK should be ignored no longer if given proper publicity. Speaking of that, do you have a website for your projects? Any indicator that convinces people that the project is alive and well is a plus.
Final note: The #qb64 IRC channel is a place where tons of light-hearted horseplay takes place. Come spend the rest of your live with us!