
Microsoft promises to keep GitHub independent and open - Hoasi
https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/04/microsoft-promises-to-keep-github-independent-and-open/
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bb88
AWS/Google missed an opportunity here. If nothing else then to deprive MS a
key piece of their puzzle.

Microsoft have a long play to build the developer pipeline from code editing
to cloud deployment. MS has Azure as well as Visual Studio. Both were
reasonably popular. Now they just needed the SCM piece.

In the end software houses are looking for turn-key (god, did I just use that
word?) cloud deployments, and this gets MS a long way there.

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toofy
GitHub had the community’s trust because it was a neutral company simply
providing a service. I don’t see how most projects and companies can ever see
a microsoft owned code repository as a neutral space.

I truly hope they keep it independent, and I truly hope it succeeds, but at
this point I question whether most projects and companies would trust
microsoft over a neutral service like GitLab.

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rinze
For people that didn't live through the 90s: a Microsoft promise is as good as
a Facebook promise.

~~~
hungerstrike
I lived through the 90s and I’m glad they beat Apple, Netscape and others to a
pulp during that time. I don’t really care how they did it because I like
their shit better and I like their business model better too.

What false promises did you personally get from them?

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walterbell
What is Microsoft’s position on EU upload filters for copyright screening of
code uploaded to Github?

[https://blog.github.com/2018-03-14-eu-proposal-upload-
filter...](https://blog.github.com/2018-03-14-eu-proposal-upload-filters-
code/)

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nimbius
the evolution of this acquisition over the past two days has been interesting.
Its even more interesting in the context of say, gitlab importer state metrics
in grafana..beware, the importer metric is under heavy load and sometimes
doesnt respond. [https://monitor.gitlab.net/dashboard/db/github-
importer](https://monitor.gitlab.net/dashboard/db/github-importer)

Reports of migrations to other sites are real, and Microsoft sees a risk thats
legitimate enough to issue a presser. Its going to be hard to head off a
github exodus at the pass because git itself is open source and there are
numerous alternatives that can quickly and easily (some with no more than the
click of a button) spirit the github userbase --which is what Microsoft
arguably wants in order to legitimize its cloud/open source push-- away from
them.

[https://sourceforge.net/](https://sourceforge.net/) even released a special
tool to migrate you away from github. Certainly some of the more business
minded users will argue this acquisition from Microsoft is a "good move" but
the fact that this is the second presser microsoft has thrown out regarding
the nature of its merger in less than 5 hours reflects a pretty sincere push
from redmond. Microsofts historic legacy of fear, uncertainty, doubt, and
outright hostile action to crush open source and startups in general is a
pretty insurmountable.

~~~
corobo
Yeah nice try Sourceforge.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SourceForge#Project_hijackings...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SourceForge#Project_hijackings_and_bundled_malware)

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soroso
I don't believe Microsoft.

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sfraise
Yeah, until you have to use Visual Studio with it & it becomes harder and
harder to use any non-Microsoft tools or services with it.

When I hear "Microsoft is acquiring" I hear "We intend to stuff bloat,
decrease UI/UX, limit compatibility & ultimately destroy". Hope I'm wrong.

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openmosix
Said every acquisition ever.

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newnewpdro
github is not open

~~~
ovao
Microsoft’s usage of “open” here is that “any developer can plug into and
extend” GitHub, which I guess in most respects is true. It’s not open in the
sense of being open-source (though some GH components/projects are) or
community-led.

~~~
dvfjsdhgfv
By this definition Microsoft Office is also open, since “any developer can
plug into and extend” it.

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jhare
Microsoft is a giant, unscrupulous profitmonster. Lies

~~~
Apes
But what company isn't these things to some degree? Even if there were somehow
a theoretical Altruism Corp, then it wouldn't survive very long being a
generous lossmonster, would it? It's about what shade of grey you want, not
about choosing black or white.

~~~
jhare
I'm not demanding altrusim from a company, just scruples and actual
independence, not stated. I'd far prefer Github have the scruples more than
caring about what MS does at this point.

MS doesn't tick that box for me historically and the smile on the new CEOs
face doesn't trick me either. When the good cop leaves and the lawyers swoop
in everybody's eyes get clawed out.

Seems to me also GH is underestimating their FOSS following and how important
that it was indep.?

