I’m one of those people who very rarely replies or comments on any topic. Often, I will even download a script without liking the post unless it’s a scene I am particularly excited about.
However, I’ve also released several scripts for free on this site. So I hope the dozens of hours I’ve spent on those would be enough to show the respect and appreciation I have for others who do the same.
The reason I don’t “engage” much is not because I don’t appreciate the work of all the fine scripters here, but because I don’t feel I have anything tangible to add to the conversation for the post. And that, to me, is what the purpose of the comments are.
I don’t want my topics to be filled with everyone posting their thanks for my script. Just imagine if every person who submitted a like were to post a reply instead, much less those who neglected to even like it. Topics would quickly have 100+ posts saying nothing really, and the few that may have important info in them would be impossible to find easily.
I would want replies on my topics to focus on specific feedback on the quality of my script or ways I might be able to improve. Or if someone feels that one of my scripts was particularly good, it can be nice to hear about that as well.
As for the piracy discussion: regardless of personal views of piracy (and for the record, I very much prefer nobody pirate any content and only post creator links in posts about the scripts I make) someone asking about or posting a free link does actually fit in my definition of what a comment is intended for. It is requesting and posting additional tangible information that is not included in my own post.
For me, the better indicator of community health is not any metrics on engagement of any particular script post. Rather, it is with the posts requesting help, which tend to be engaged with and answered very quickly. It is also with the various tools that people have created and maintained and posted about here to improve scripting. It is also in posts like this one where people do engage and get passionate about when they think they have something to add. So, I think our community is doing okay.