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"everything you would expect of a Facebook-engineered library" So it collects your personal information, even when not using it, and uses it for profit?

btown 9y ago
At the risk of troll-engaging: there's a huge difference between using an independently-auditable, multiple-contributing-entity, open-source library that happens to have been originated by a social network's engineering team, and using the identity-tracking public APIs of a closed social network. And both can be useful in certain situations. Be wary, but don't close oneself off to good technology just because it's associated with technology you disapprove of.
- fenwick67 9y ago
  You are right that their OSS doesn't spy on you, but... > don't close oneself off to good technology just because it's associated with technology you disapprove of I disagree, if you think Facebook is evil, don't use their libraries. Using them gives Facebook positive publicity and good will.
  - austinshea 9y ago
    OSS can of course spy on you. You just have a reasonable way to audit that software, and find that out for yourself. If you can audit it yourself, why not use it? I won't follow you on your quest to rid yourself of things created by corporations that I find to be evil. It's your opinion, sure, but using a corporation's tech does not ensure positive publicity or good will.
woah 9y ago
I don’t like Facebook much, but their engineering is very good
- whatever_dude 9y ago
  Only when your needs align with theirs. Which, truth be told, is fairly common. But they have a tendency to ignore or give low priority to other people's needs, like certain features that don't meet "Facebook scale" or, just, documentation (see: Relay).
- tachyoff 9y ago
  I beg to differ [1]. I know people at Facebook, and from what I’ve heard, people just kind of... do stuff; there’s very little organization. Maybe that’s not true anymore, though. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10066338 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10066338

btown 9y ago

At the risk of troll-engaging: there's a huge difference between using an independently-auditable, multiple-contributing-entity, open-source library that happens to have been originated by a social network's engineering team, and using the identity-tracking public APIs of a closed social network. And both can be useful in certain situations. Be wary, but don't close oneself off to good technology just because it's associated with technology you disapprove of.

fenwick67 9y ago
You are right that their OSS doesn't spy on you, but... > don't close oneself off to good technology just because it's associated with technology you disapprove of I disagree, if you think Facebook is evil, don't use their libraries. Using them gives Facebook positive publicity and good will.
- austinshea 9y ago
  OSS can of course spy on you. You just have a reasonable way to audit that software, and find that out for yourself. If you can audit it yourself, why not use it? I won't follow you on your quest to rid yourself of things created by corporations that I find to be evil. It's your opinion, sure, but using a corporation's tech does not ensure positive publicity or good will.

woah 9y ago

I don’t like Facebook much, but their engineering is very good

whatever_dude 9y ago
Only when your needs align with theirs. Which, truth be told, is fairly common. But they have a tendency to ignore or give low priority to other people's needs, like certain features that don't meet "Facebook scale" or, just, documentation (see: Relay).
tachyoff 9y ago
I beg to differ [1]. I know people at Facebook, and from what I’ve heard, people just kind of... do stuff; there’s very little organization. Maybe that’s not true anymore, though. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10066338 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10066338