Why would you apply to a company you didn't know well enough to want to work at? You should have some reason you're applying to the company. Think about it this way: if you're already an employee of the company and someone applies who doesn't really want to work there, and HR lets them through, would you want to work with them? I wouldn't.
But even if you can't write a good "I want to work and Foobar Inc." paragraph, the cover letter gives you a chance to talk about all the stuff you do on the side, to show how much you love making software.
Personally, I would much rather work for a company that hires people who love working there than one that hires people just because they know a guy who knows a guy.
But even if you can't write a good "I want to work and Foobar Inc." paragraph, the cover letter gives you a chance to talk about all the stuff you do on the side, to show how much you love making software.
Personally, I would much rather work for a company that hires people who love working there than one that hires people just because they know a guy who knows a guy.