5 ms·

On the other hand, as Git is a DVCS even if GitHub went down the repos still live on local developer machines, so it'd be easy enough to move to a different Git

On the other hand, as Git is a DVCS even if GitHub went down the repos still live on local developer machines, so it'd be easy enough to move to a different Git hosting provider.

zitterbewegung 10y ago
The features that github has would be pretty hard to migrate even to something that has almost 1:1 feature parity like GitLab. I don't know of an export tool they have for all the data associated with github.
- palunon 10y ago
  They have an import tool : https://docs.gitlab.com/ce/workflow/importing/import_projects_from_github.html https://docs.gitlab.com/ce/workflow/importing/import_project...
dom0 10y ago
Yeah, but you lose a lot. Issues, Wikis, Github Pages, CI, Reviews, Projects etc.
carbocation 10y ago
I moved a bunch of repos to bitbucket, since they support free private repositories (which I need for a small organization that I'm part of). It was, as your comment alludes, extremely quick and easy thanks to the "D" in DVCS. That said, we don't use issues, the wiki, etc.
AceJohnny2 10y ago
People keep bringing that up, but that's missing the bigger picture: GitHub is more than just a git host, it's also a "social hub" where people can fork repos and offer changes back (pull requests), a passable bugtracker (issues), even wiki, and even web host (github.io). Many people have warned that using these added-value features makes you dependent on GitHub (Linus Torvalds has a kernel mirror on GitHub, but for this reason refuses to use its other features). Migrating all that metadata is hard (is it even possible?).
- ForHackernews 10y ago
  There are plenty of replacements. Bitbucket, gitlab, etc.
  - sidlls 10y ago
    I actually prefer bitbucket because I don't have to pay for private repos.
    - Perihelion 10y ago
      You can have private repos for free on GitLab.com too. Disclaimer: I work at GitLab.
      - sidlls 10y ago
        I was completely unaware of that. Thanks for the heads up. I use gitlab at work, and now I might try it for my personal projects.
- ProAm 10y ago
  The problem is social hubs add very little real value and are easily replaceable, especially among technically astute people.
  - TeMPOraL 10y ago
    Oh, but they do add a lot of real value. In fact, they're extremely efficient at making this value - so efficient that they don't get to monetize anything but a small fraction of it.
  - matt4077 10y ago
    I think Github is a prime example of how much a "social hub" can add. In the 6 years or so before GH, do you think I ever send a patch upstream? Now, collaborating is almost easier than not doing it, and it's an awesome community.
- 10y ago
knz 10y ago
Github brings additional value that just being a DVCS - I manage all of my external consultants through it (assign work through issues, often review/approve PR's via the UI, able to easily share a link to a specific line of code, easily share info via the wiki etc). There are obviously alternatives but the Github UI just makes it so easy to work with others.
woodruffw 10y ago
It's worth nothing that GitHub isn't just a pretty Git frontend anymore. It's also a de-facto CDN and host for projects (Homebrew, CocoaPods come to mind), as well as a blogging and demonstration platform (GitHub pages). In these roles, GitHub is of tremendous value and not immediately replaceable.
- jessaustin 10y ago
  It's my impression that they really don't want to be a CDN. One might suggest that as a service that could generate revenue if they charged for it, however none of the cheapskates using GitHub as a CDN would ever consider paying for a CDN...
  - woodruffw 10y ago
    I can't blame them (being GitHub). Bandwidth and storage can be expensive. That being said, I think it's inaccurate to characterize the people using GitHub as a CDN uniformly as "cheapskates". Many are just open source developers, often of limited means, trying to expose their work to the largest audience possible.
    - pawadu 10y ago
      I disagree. When you just start your project you may use github as your CDN and hope no one notices, but when you are as big as homebrew using someones elses resources like this is a pretty bad practice.

On the other hand, as Git is a DVCS even if GitHub went down the repos still live on local developer machines, so it'd be easy enough to move to a different Git hosting provider.

zitterbewegung 10y ago

The features that github has would be pretty hard to migrate even to something that has almost 1:1 feature parity like GitLab. I don't know of an export tool they have for all the data associated with github.

palunon 10y ago
They have an import tool : https://docs.gitlab.com/ce/workflow/importing/import_projects_from_github.html https://docs.gitlab.com/ce/workflow/importing/import_project...

dom0 10y ago

Yeah, but you lose a lot. Issues, Wikis, Github Pages, CI, Reviews, Projects etc.

carbocation 10y ago

I moved a bunch of repos to bitbucket, since they support free private repositories (which I need for a small organization that I'm part of). It was, as your comment alludes, extremely quick and easy thanks to the "D" in DVCS. That said, we don't use issues, the wiki, etc.

AceJohnny2 10y ago

People keep bringing that up, but that's missing the bigger picture: GitHub is more than just a git host, it's also a "social hub" where people can fork repos and offer changes back (pull requests), a passable bugtracker (issues), even wiki, and even web host (github.io). Many people have warned that using these added-value features makes you dependent on GitHub (Linus Torvalds has a kernel mirror on GitHub, but for this reason refuses to use its other features). Migrating all that metadata is hard (is it even possible?).

ForHackernews 10y ago
There are plenty of replacements. Bitbucket, gitlab, etc.
- sidlls 10y ago
  I actually prefer bitbucket because I don't have to pay for private repos.
  - Perihelion 10y ago
    You can have private repos for free on GitLab.com too. Disclaimer: I work at GitLab.
    - sidlls 10y ago
      I was completely unaware of that. Thanks for the heads up. I use gitlab at work, and now I might try it for my personal projects.
ProAm 10y ago
The problem is social hubs add very little real value and are easily replaceable, especially among technically astute people.
- TeMPOraL 10y ago
  Oh, but they do add a lot of real value. In fact, they're extremely efficient at making this value - so efficient that they don't get to monetize anything but a small fraction of it.
- matt4077 10y ago
  I think Github is a prime example of how much a "social hub" can add. In the 6 years or so before GH, do you think I ever send a patch upstream? Now, collaborating is almost easier than not doing it, and it's an awesome community.
10y ago

knz 10y ago

Github brings additional value that just being a DVCS - I manage all of my external consultants through it (assign work through issues, often review/approve PR's via the UI, able to easily share a link to a specific line of code, easily share info via the wiki etc). There are obviously alternatives but the Github UI just makes it so easy to work with others.

woodruffw 10y ago

It's worth nothing that GitHub isn't just a pretty Git frontend anymore. It's also a de-facto CDN and host for projects (Homebrew, CocoaPods come to mind), as well as a blogging and demonstration platform (GitHub pages). In these roles, GitHub is of tremendous value and not immediately replaceable.

jessaustin 10y ago
It's my impression that they really don't want to be a CDN. One might suggest that as a service that could generate revenue if they charged for it, however none of the cheapskates using GitHub as a CDN would ever consider paying for a CDN...
- woodruffw 10y ago
  I can't blame them (being GitHub). Bandwidth and storage can be expensive. That being said, I think it's inaccurate to characterize the people using GitHub as a CDN uniformly as "cheapskates". Many are just open source developers, often of limited means, trying to expose their work to the largest audience possible.
  - pawadu 10y ago
    I disagree. When you just start your project you may use github as your CDN and hope no one notices, but when you are as big as homebrew using someones elses resources like this is a pretty bad practice.