Suggestion: move to or mirror on non-GitHub Git host

[ghost]

With Microsoft's GitHub acquisition, tech firms are yet more centralised. Would you consider mirroring this repo on other platforms like Framagit (GitLab server run by French FOSS organization Framasoft)? There are also fine self-hostable platforms, like the lightweight Gitea or the feature-rich GitLab.

[ghost]

Maybe also an idea for UGent: you don't need to pay GitHub to set up a self-hosted and complete Git backend like they do.

[RubenVerborgh]

With Microsoft's GitHub acquisition, tech firms are yet more centralised.

I saw an interesting remark regarding to this: https://twitter.com/csarven/status/1004316798513287168, https://twitter.com/RubenVerborgh/status/1004653055357390849. So I don't think that anything fundamentally changed.

That said, git is decentralized and replicated, so GitHub is just one of the many platforms where this code lives.

The only centralized aspect are the discussions, i.e., issues and pull requests. We are free to take them anywhere else at any point. People can even just post a comment on a space of their own and/or send me an email.

Would you consider mirroring this repo on other platforms like Framagit (GitLab server run by French FOSS organization Framasoft)?

That would be possible.
Given that it's mostly for the conversation, other options are being considered too: https://twitter.com/bblfish/status/1004320083676680192

My only requirements are:

• that people can give feedback
• that I am notified about said feedback

So far, GitHub is doing a good role in providing for both, and I feel comfortable in the sense that I can move my things out whenever I want to, i.e., GitHub is a republisher of my code, not a source.

PS If you're interested in the broader centralization/aggregation discussion, check out my recent talks:

• https://rubenverborgh.github.io/EuropeanaTech-2018/
• http://slides.verborgh.org/ELAG-2018/

[RubenVerborgh]

Maybe also an idea for UGent: you don't need to pay GitHub to set up a self-hosted and complete Git backend like they do.

I'm sure they know that (and with our lab, we have a private GitLab instance); they likely weighed the costs of self-hosting versus having GitHub do it.

[ghost]

Decentralised issues and pull/merge requests have also crossed my mind in the past and seem like a great goal to work towards.

It wasn't really talking about technical centralisation (which is an interesting topic that as you know greatly interests me, too) as much as business centralisation. Microsoft is getting hold of another domain of influence.

[ghost]

I'm sure they know that (and with our lab, we have a private GitLab instance); they likely weighed the costs of self-hosting versus having GitHub do it.

As far as I know, it is self-hosted. The IP is in the UGent range. They just pay GitHub to get a license to install it, and for support.

[RubenVerborgh]

It wasn't really talking about technical centralisation (which is an interesting topic that as you know greatly interests me, too) as much as business centralisation.

In that sense, I'm still happy. Microsoft doesn't own my code. I just placed a copy of it on GitHub, but I can place copies anywhere. And, in contrast to other platforms, I don't have to download my data from them first, since I and everyone else have a copy of the repo already.

The social centralization is the problem here, the fact that the discussion is on a central platform. We can do better than that.

As far as I know, it is self-hosted. The IP is in the UGent range. They just pay GitHub to get a license to install it, and for support.

Self-hosted, but GitHub-maintained, I think. The physical (or virtual?) machine is located on the UGent premises, but they probably don't have to do the maintenance.