doc: current status of the project

Update the README and docs with the current status of the project
regarding its maintenance and current direction.

README.md

@@ -26,6 +26,35 @@ highly encouraged to do so.
 -   **Backends**: SQLite, PostgreSQL, MariaDB (version 10.3.2 or above),
     Memory.
 
+## Current direction (as of 2024)
+
+Ihatemoney was started in 2011, and we believe the project has reached a certain
+level of maturity now. The overall energy of contributors is not as high as it
+used to be.
+
+In addition, there are now several self-hosted alternatives (for instance
+[cospend](https://github.com/julien-nc/cospend-nc/tree/main), [spliit](https://
+github.com/spliit-app/spliit)). As maintainers, we believe that the project is
+still relevant but should gear towards some kind of "maintenance mode":
+
+* **Simplicity** is now the main goal of the project. It has always been a compass
+for the project, and the resulting software is appreciated by both users and
+server administrators. For us, "simplicity" is positive and encompasses both
+technical aspects (very few javascript code, manageable dependencies, small code
+size...) and user-visible aspects (straightforward interface, no need to create
+accounts for people you invite, same web interface on mobile...)
+
+* **Stability** is prioritized over adding major new features. We found ourselves
+complexifying the codebase (and the interface) by while accepting some
+contributions. Our goal now is to have a minimal set of features that do most of
+the job. We believe this will help lower the maintainance burden.
+
+* **User interface and user experience improvements** are always super welcome !
+
+It is still possible to propose new features, but they should fit into
+this new direction. Simplicity of the UI/UX and simplicity of the technical
+implementation will be the main factors when deciding to accept new features.
+
 ## Contributing
 
 Do you wish to contribute to IHateMoney? Fantastic! There's a lot of

docs/contributing.md

@@ -1,5 +1,34 @@
 # Contributing
 
+## Current direction (as of 2024)
+
+Ihatemoney was started in 2011, and we believe the project has reached a certain
+level of maturity now. The overall energy of contributors is not as high as it
+used to be.
+
+In addition, there are now several self-hosted alternatives (for instance
+[cospend](https://github.com/julien-nc/cospend-nc/tree/main), [spliit](https://
+github.com/spliit-app/spliit)). As maintainers, we believe that the project is
+still relevant but should gear towards some kind of "maintenance mode":
+
+* **Simplicity** is now the main goal of the project. It has always been a compass
+for the project, and the resulting software is appreciated by both users and
+server administrators. For us, "simplicity" is positive and encompasses both
+technical aspects (very few javascript code, manageable dependencies, small code
+size...) and user-visible aspects (straightforward interface, no need to create
+accounts for people you invite, same web interface on mobile...)
+
+* **Stability** is prioritized over adding major new features. We found ourselves
+complexifying the codebase (and the interface) by while accepting some
+contributions. Our goal now is to have a minimal set of features that do most of
+the job. We believe this will help lower the maintainance burden.
+
+* **User interface and user experience improvements** are always super welcome !
+
+It is still possible to propose new features, but they should fit into
+this new direction. Simplicity of the UI/UX and simplicity of the technical
+implementation will be the main factors when deciding to accept new features.
+
 ## How to contribute
 
 You would like to contribute? First, thanks a bunch! This project is a