12.24.20

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Nobody Needs GitHub for Anything

Posted in Free/Libre Software at 10:27 am by Guest Editorial Team

Summary: A reader explains why Rust is wrong to use GitHub and why the reasoning/excuses of many such projects are inherently flawed if not intentionally dishonest

This article is a discussion around the following thread.

Let’s bust some myths here.

Myth 0: GitHub is the only way to develop software in a distributed fashion.

“Software was developed in a distributed fashion since the dawn of software.”Let’s list things that were developed in a distributed fashion long before the existence of GitHub:

0) Git itself
1) GNU C compiler
2) GNU utilities
3) Linux Kernel
4) GnuPG
5) FreeBSD

Need we go on? Software was developed in a distributed fashion since the dawn of software.

Myth 1: GitHub is the only distributed development system.

Trying to market GitHub as the only way to develop software in a distributed fashion is a display of such ignorance that it is revolting. Which is why the statement “When there is a viable distributed alternative to guthub [sic] I am sure it will be seriously considered” could only be propaganda.

The Rust committee are spoiled for choice when it comes to distributed development systems. The market for interfaces built on top of Git is incredibly saturated. Gitea and GitLab are among two of the systems that are direct competitors to GitHub. So the problem here is not lack of a “viable distributed alternative” to GitHub. If the Rust committee wanted to migrate, they have many options available.

Myth 2: You need systems like GitHub or GitLab or Gitea to develop software in a distributed fashion, in the first place.

Distributed software development (DSD) is a social phenomenon; DSD is not tied to any one tool/system. People with experience in DSD know that projects usually have contributions coming in from several channels: email, forums, dedicated bug-trackers, IRC chats, etc.

Contributions that are worth something will get accepted, regardless of how they get into the hands of the maintainer(s) of a project.

Don’t believe the marketing propaganda that you NEED GitHub. If you want to use GitHub, you are free to do so. Just don’t fall for the lie that GitHub is the only option out there.

Myth 3: GitHub works for large projects.

Once your codebase and the necessary tooling required to develop your software gets complex enough, you will be met with the deficiencies of GitHub. GitHub chokes on large diffs; you are forced into the automation workflows imposed on you by GitHub; you can’t analyse the source code when something doesn’t work as you expect; these are only some of the deficiencies.

Myth 4: Your project is safe on GitHub.

Go browse the internet about what happened to the program youtube-dl. The following links are informative (and entertaining):

● Free as in Freedom Should Not be Associated With Cost

● Meme #0

Robotnik Button: Microsoft loves Open Source, Microsoft loves RIAA

● Meme #1

Dhmis argument: EFF: Youtube-dl takedown is RIAA's fault, Youtube-dl: But Microsoft is in the RIAA, EFF: Look, it's not like we're going to tell people to delete GitHub, Elephant in the room: Didn't the EFF give an award to Microsoft recently?

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