
Why Open Source Software Is Moving to GitLab After Microsoft-GitHub Deal - WinObs
http://www.itprotoday.com/open-source/why-open-source-software-moving-gitlab-after-microsoft-github-deal
======
da_chicken
I'm not sure why this is an article. It's obviously because Microsoft has a
reputation for harming open source software. That reputation was very fairly
earned, regardless of the company's current stance. The sad part is that no
matter what happens now, Microsoft will never get any credit for doing
anything right with GitHub.

If a new feature is released and people don't _immediately_ like it, it will
be, "See, I knew Microsoft would ruin GitHub," or "It doesn't matter that this
is optional, it means that Microsoft is trying to control our workflow!"

If a new feature is released and people like it, it will be, "I bet Microsoft
is going start charging for feature," or "Yeah, but if you spend 50 times the
effort, this other forge site kind of almost does the same thing," or "This is
just Microsoft trying to shove GitHub down our throats."

If GitLab or similar open source forges fail because it can't find a
sustainable business model or because GitHub remains an actual better product,
people will blame Microsoft for "intentionally destroying GitLab to get a
monopoly over forge sites."

Regardless of how paranoid the reactions to GitHub are in the future, you can
bet that a large portion of the community will be unable to look past their
hatred of the company. That's not entirely unwise, and Microsoft isn't the
only company with this kind of extremely poor reputation (Oracle and Facebook)
or just increasingly unfavorable reputations (Amazon, Google, and Apple), but
that doesn't make it less reactionary, either.

------
chomp
"While Microsoft talks a nice game now with regard to Linux and FOSS, it
hasn't really backed it up with significant actions that merit our trust,"

[https://hub.docker.com/r/microsoft/mssql-server-
linux/](https://hub.docker.com/r/microsoft/mssql-server-linux/)

[https://github.com/Microsoft/dotnet](https://github.com/Microsoft/dotnet)

[https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode](https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode)

[https://github.com/Microsoft/ChakraCore](https://github.com/Microsoft/ChakraCore)

[https://www.zdnet.com/article/top-five-linux-contributor-
mic...](https://www.zdnet.com/article/top-five-linux-contributor-microsoft/)

[https://www.networkworld.com/article/3120774/open-source-
too...](https://www.networkworld.com/article/3120774/open-source-
tools/microsoft-s-the-top-open-source-contributor-on-github.html)

[https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/powershell-is-open-
so...](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/powershell-is-open-sourced-and-
is-available-on-linux/)

What the heck more does this person want? I mean I understand that old
feelings die hard but come on!

Look, I'm not a Microsoft fan and was around for evil Microsoft, but I have to
roll my eyes at a lot of the reaction and panic for this whole Github
purchase. Looking at the recent purchase of LinkedIn, the product hasn't
changed much from the original purchase, and I don't expect Github to change
that much either. That can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you
look at it, but I think that's a stronger argument for leaving Github than
"Micro$oft is going to kill FOSS!"

~~~
orev
A counter example is Skype. They have destroyed the reliability, and turned
the app into an embarrassing toy in an attempt to push serious users towards
Skype for Business. They are also basically requiring the use of the Windows
App Store version, which is seriously lacking in both features and usability.
A true study that MS has not changed it’s stripes that much.

~~~
dogma1138
I think you should look into how shady the P2P model of Skype was and how
easily super nodes could eavesdrop on other users.

It was also completely unreliable when a large chunk the user base switched to
mobile messages won’t send, send out of order, would go into the limbo only to
appear X days or even months later and if you were signed into multiple
devices you were out of luck since if your desktop would’ve received a message
while your mobile didn’t you would never see it on your mobile.

Skype died for many reasons MSFT not continuing with its botnet like network
model as it’s a huge liability for them isn’t one of them.

~~~
hungerstrike
Is Skype really dead? I still use it and it works and other people that I know
use it. So, I wouldn’t really call it dead I guess.

I think it died with a certain crowd maybe.

~~~
dogma1138
I stopped using it even to talk to my mother who’s almost 80 everyone I know
dropped it for WhatsApp and FaceTime.

------
Karrot_Kream
Because software engineering stopped being rational and has largely become a
game of emotions and marketing? If you can trust Google and Facebook, then you
can trust Microsoft.

~~~
orev
Google does not have the same history of hostility towards Open Source and the
market in general. Microsoft continues to be adversarial to almost all players
in most markets, so why would one expect them to be different here? Only those
who have short memories and are not students of history.

------
vidanay
I'm curious if someone at MS or GitHub tipped GitLab on Saturday evening to be
prepared for additional traffic. Seems like it would have been a nice thing to
do.

~~~
corobo
Going by my webhooks firing upwards of 15 minutes after the git push to my
(already on GitLab) repos when the migration started I'm going with no, it
feels reactive rather than proactive

------
rapfaria
Any big projects that moved already? Or those thousands of repositories are
dot files?

~~~
giancarlostoro
Honestly once Microsoft takes over GitHub I may migrate my GitLab / BitBucket
projects to GitHub. It will not surprise me if they open source GitHub and
allow private repositories to be hosted for free. They ran CodePlex for 0
profit. They can make some profit off GitHub but probably can afford not to
turn it into a cash cow and thats ok for them to do because their profits will
come from elsewhere. GitHub is going to be their way to ultimately give back
like never before to all developers on all platforms. Disclaimer I don't work
for Microsoft I just don't drink the Koolaid of blind hatred.

~~~
33degrees
Yeah given how much they paid it’s clear they’re not intending to directly
profit from Github’s sales. Allowing free private repos seems a logical step

------
ngcc_hk
The key issue is you cannot trust whatsoever and whosoever if they were the
key cornerstone of your movement. You have to have diversity and difference
shall be embedded in any movement that ultimately rely upon self independence
not rely upon the mercy of a big group - Facebook, Google or Microsoft. No.
Can't.

Similar to Communist China. During the first two decades in its reform, it is
fine. We have hope. There is democracy. And if one shout hard enough, it let
some air in and some human rights lawyer can survive.

But once it grow to the size that is no longer viable to let it go. Then
dictatorship (even within their ranks) and no-freedom using IT.

We cannot wait until the Microsoft will be bad, good a bit and may turn bad.
Unless we have a say and ensure that it is not the monopoly, we cannot be
rest. The world is nasty and best intent may not be good enough. The structure
of unity power end with bad.

Choice first. The rest can sort it out in due course.

