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If you don't want to use Slack for FOSS projects then don't, but if you do, go for it. This is what OSS is all about, Freedom, use what you think is right. Di

If you don't want to use Slack for FOSS projects then don't, but if you do, go for it. This is what OSS is all about, Freedom, use what you think is right. Diversity is good, maybe people leaving IRC will lead to innovations in IRC that address it's 20 year old deficiencies that have never been addressed.

ipozgaj 11y ago
OSS (as the name suggests) is about *openness", and that's exactly the point where Slack is falling short and what the article is about.
- JustSomeNobody 11y ago
  And that openness extends to being able to use whatever software one wants be it open source, closed source or whatever.
- mbrock 11y ago
  GitHub is also a proprietary walled garden, and it's pretty much the nexus of open source today, much like SourceForge was before. At any given time there seems to be a minority that really cares about open infrastructure while the majority just wants convenient stuff on a free tier.
  - adamors 11y ago
    It's hardly a walled garden when you can take your entire repo (including commit history etc.) and go to another provider or go with your own git server.
    - mbrock 11y ago
      Sure it is. How do you get your issues and wiki into another Git server?
      - TeMPOraL 11y ago
        Wiki is something you should have a local copy of. That said, GitHub wikis are just git repositories. You can clone them like this: https://help.github.com/articles/adding-and-editing-wiki-pages-locally/ https://help.github.com/articles/adding-and-editing-wiki-pag... As for issues, it's only a little bit trickier - you'll have to use GitHub API, like this: https://api.github.com/repos/hotsh/rstat.us/issues https://api.github.com/repos/hotsh/rstat.us/issues (from https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-export-backup-GitHub-issues https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-export-backup-GitHub-issues)
        mbrock 11y ago
        I didn't know that. You still have the problem of mapping the user authentication though. Moving a big repository and giving users the right permissions seems pretty tricky. Do you know of any successful migrations away from GitHub?
    - Lawtonfogle 11y ago
      Reminds me of the study that longer return periods are correlated with lower rates of return. Give a method that, in a simple logical view would encourage one outcome, but when you add in the complexities of humans, results in the opposite behavior.
    - st3v3r 11y ago
      Repo, maybe. What about the issues in the issue tracker?
mikegerwitz 11y ago
"Open source" was created specifically to avoid talking about freedom. If you want to talk about freedom, please say "Free Software". In that case, we are talking about the freedom of the user to use software as they wish, to study it and modify it to suit their needs, and to share it with others. We're not talking about the freedom to go about their lives as they wish---that's a separate fundamental freedom, although it can certainly be restricted by nonfree software. Ideally, that software would also be Free, but that's their own choice. But we should never encourage the use of proprietary software. If you're talking about the "open source" development methodology, though, then the argument ceases to exist, because freedom is not important enough to discuss, and so those who adopt that perspective won't understand why it's bad to recommend Slack to someone, or even require it.

ipozgaj 11y ago

OSS (as the name suggests) is about *openness", and that's exactly the point where Slack is falling short and what the article is about.

JustSomeNobody 11y ago
And that openness extends to being able to use whatever software one wants be it open source, closed source or whatever.
mbrock 11y ago
GitHub is also a proprietary walled garden, and it's pretty much the nexus of open source today, much like SourceForge was before. At any given time there seems to be a minority that really cares about open infrastructure while the majority just wants convenient stuff on a free tier.
- adamors 11y ago
  It's hardly a walled garden when you can take your entire repo (including commit history etc.) and go to another provider or go with your own git server.
  - mbrock 11y ago
    Sure it is. How do you get your issues and wiki into another Git server?
    - TeMPOraL 11y ago
      Wiki is something you should have a local copy of. That said, GitHub wikis are just git repositories. You can clone them like this: https://help.github.com/articles/adding-and-editing-wiki-pages-locally/ https://help.github.com/articles/adding-and-editing-wiki-pag... As for issues, it's only a little bit trickier - you'll have to use GitHub API, like this: https://api.github.com/repos/hotsh/rstat.us/issues https://api.github.com/repos/hotsh/rstat.us/issues (from https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-export-backup-GitHub-issues https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-export-backup-GitHub-issues)
      - mbrock 11y ago
        I didn't know that. You still have the problem of mapping the user authentication though. Moving a big repository and giving users the right permissions seems pretty tricky. Do you know of any successful migrations away from GitHub?
  - Lawtonfogle 11y ago
    Reminds me of the study that longer return periods are correlated with lower rates of return. Give a method that, in a simple logical view would encourage one outcome, but when you add in the complexities of humans, results in the opposite behavior.
  - st3v3r 11y ago
    Repo, maybe. What about the issues in the issue tracker?

mikegerwitz 11y ago

"Open source" was created specifically to avoid talking about freedom. If you want to talk about freedom, please say "Free Software". In that case, we are talking about the freedom of the user to use software as they wish, to study it and modify it to suit their needs, and to share it with others. We're not talking about the freedom to go about their lives as they wish---that's a separate fundamental freedom, although it can certainly be restricted by nonfree software. Ideally, that software would also be Free, but that's their own choice. But we should never encourage the use of proprietary software. If you're talking about the "open source" development methodology, though, then the argument ceases to exist, because freedom is not important enough to discuss, and so those who adopt that perspective won't understand why it's bad to recommend Slack to someone, or even require it.