8 ms·

Another release, another whole slew of project management features that I don't know who asked for, while things that I consider basic for a code repo manager i

Another release, another whole slew of project management features that I don't know who asked for, while things that I consider basic for a code repo manager is still nowhere to be seen: - batch review (seriously, will this ever be done?) (https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues/1984 https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues/1984) - configurable tab width (https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/2479 https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/2479) - consecutive git blame for current revision (https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/37135 https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/37135) - rebase and merge in one single step (https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues/895 https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues/895) - unable to view diff for any file that is slightly large (https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/30061 https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/30061) GitLab seems to be trying too hard to replace project management tools like JIRA and CI tools like Jenkins that it's neglecting its core feature set that is code repo management.

hunter23 8y ago
agreed. After a few years of this, I've given up hope of them focusing on the core project. They have basic usability errors in their merge request and approval flow that makes the product a pain. For example, in 3+ years of using the product, I still have no idea where to find all the merge requests where I am listed an an approver. Our slack channel is littered with folks re-asking people to review their code because there is no way to tell what you need to review. But instead of focusing on the core features, here's probably what they will launch instead: - a slack like chat app - a trello like app - a yammer like app - redesigning the left nav once again - adding even more UI clutter in the merge request box because they still haven't jammed enough crap in there
- rstat1 8y ago
  They've already done the first 2. Though the chat app part was done by someone else.
- Vinnl 8y ago
  > I still have no idea where to find all the merge requests where I am listed an an approver. Click this image in the top right-hand side: https://i.imgur.com/vWOxECQ.png https://i.imgur.com/vWOxECQ.png
  - lloeki 8y ago
    Approver, not assignee. You can be an approver without being assigned the MR.
    - Vinnl 8y ago
      Ah, that's something else indeed. I guess it does show up in the TODO list which is the button to the right of the one I linked earlier, but there's a lot of other cruft in there, including already merged MRs.
      - lloeki 8y ago
        > but there's a lot of other cruft in there The ToDos is a sort of inbox of actionables. We don't use approvers because we use assignees for MRs but here you'll get anything that requires (or may require) some action on your part, like mentions, assignments, CI job failures you're responsible of... ToDos get automatically "done" when you act, such as replying to a mention. Alternatively you can manually mark some issues as "done" or "to do". I like this workflow personally use them to great effect by practicing a form of Inbox Zero, and combined with the personal issues and MR lists they give me a good picture of what I have to do.
        Vinnl 8y ago
        > ToDos get automatically "done" when you act Well, that's not flawless. I never use the TODOs view, because it's full of items like this: https://screenshots.firefox.com/wxy2llOZM5g0HWre/gitlab.com https://screenshots.firefox.com/wxy2llOZM5g0HWre/gitlab.com In other words, there's a number of issues assigned to me listed there, even though they're closed. There's also a few mentions that I don't otherwise interact with (I've seen them in my email and that's that), so I'd have to manually mark those as Done in the GitLab interface after reading them in my email.
- mschuster91 8y ago
  > - a slack like chat app They have, the Omnibus variant as well as the gitlab-ce docker container based on it includes Mattermost with integration. Just awesome, actually.
kornish 8y ago
Agreed that GitLab could really do with some development of boring, unsexy, wholly necessary features now that they're seeing some well-earned adoption. Please, please, please add batch review. Add to that list that big diffs with many files (which are a bad practice, but do happen) causes the entire browser tab to freeze up.
craftyguy 8y ago
You can use git for these "core" features?
- ithkuil 8y ago
  Batching code review comments is a feature of the code review tool
  - craftyguy 8y ago
    It's definitely not exclusive to gitlab/hub/whatever. You've been able to do this on mailing lists when reviewing a patch since, well, ever since email was a thing.
Kluny 8y ago
Plus one for configurable tab width, jfc.
grandinj 8y ago
Paying customers. Specifically, the person who signs off on Gitlab at a company is generally some kind of project manager so they value project management features.
- Qwertie 8y ago
  All the extra features is the main selling point of GitLab. It's the reason you use it over GitHub because GitLab is more than just repo hosting and issue tracking.
  - jlengrand 8y ago
    That, and the fact that you can self-host
    - manigandham 8y ago
      Github has Enterprise edition for self-hosting: https://enterprise.github.com/home https://enterprise.github.com/home
      - pmontra 8y ago
        At $2,500 per 10 users / year [1], vs the GitLab Community Edition download at https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/ https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/ (it looks like a MIT license) Maybe it's worth the price. Did anybody used both of them and is willing to tell us how they compare? [1] https://enterprise.github.com/features#pricing https://enterprise.github.com/features#pricing
    - BjoernKW 8y ago
      You can self-host GitHub, too: https://enterprise.github.com/home https://enterprise.github.com/home
      - jlengrand 8y ago
        You can, at entreprise prices indeed. Which is out of reach for most SMEs out there. This is IMHO a llarg part of what made Gitlab successful.
some_account 8y ago
I LOVE that they are providing alternatives to ugly and slow Jenkins. Gitlab is so much nicer!
- michaelneale 8y ago
  Hi. Co-founder of CloudBees here (and sometimes contributor to the Jenkins project). I have described the UI as far worse words than that myself, but things are changing: - Reboot the UI (it isn't just changing existing, but replacing): https://jenkins.io/projects/blueocean/ https://jenkins.io/projects/blueocean/ - Getting rid of version numbers and updates, and fiddling with plugins by hand: https://jenkins.io/blog/2018/04/06/jenkins-essentials/ https://jenkins.io/blog/2018/04/06/jenkins-essentials/ (make it ever green, like browsers) - Jenkins X - which is really about how you build apps on Kubernetes: https://jenkins-x.io https://jenkins-x.io - We also have https://CodeShip.com https://CodeShip.com - for those that don't need the on-prem/self hosting flexibility/extensibility and want things to work as a service. Its great to see so much activity in CI/CD these days, really cool to see. Hopefully if you run into Jenkins again one day in the future it wont be the one you have a bad memory of.
Vinnl 8y ago
GitLab has stated they want to manage the full software delivery process for ages now. There are other basic code repo managers out there (Gogs, Gitea, ...). GitLab is obviously able to invest a lot more in their product, but part of the reason for that is that they're not just focusing on being basic code repo managers. For example, GitLab CI/CD is far more useful to me than configurable tab width would ever be. It's not a basic code repo manager feature, but there's a clear reason why they're focusing on one more than the other.
kochthesecond 8y ago
We are paying for gitlab, and the only think I'd like to see from this list is rebase before merge... I think gitlab are doing a pretty good job with their product.
jobvandervoort 8y ago
Thanks for the feedback. To address some of it: Regarding batch review: We wanted to ship this way sooner. We spent an unfortunate amount of time refactoring our merge requests to use Vue. That is now done, so work on this has started and should be shipping on August 22nd, with GitLab 11.2. See also the epic on the subject: https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/23 https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/23 All the other issues you referenced should get appropriate priority. I recently made a change in what team is responsible for code review, so that we don't have to choose between code review and issue tracking features, but rather between different features related only to Git. This should help. (i.e. responsibility went from the 'Discussion' team to the 'Create' team). Regarding viewing large diffs: we're working hard on a better solution. Follow the epic for the full picture: https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/15 https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/15
- pabl0rg 8y ago
  I’m already following the issues but since you’re here please, please can we have merge + tag in one step and also rebase + merge. https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/22363 https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/22363
  - jobvandervoort 8y ago
    Cool feature. Makes total sense. Pinged the relevant people.
BaronSamedi 8y ago
GitLab has moved past being a "a code repo manager" and is creating a tool to manage the entire SDLC. My reaction to this is the opposite of yours. Adopting it has already allowed us to get rid of Jenkins (shudder), and will soon allow us to replace Jira as well. Your wishlist is reasonable enough but I like the direction they are going.
- Yuioup 8y ago
  I wish I could build my .NET code in Gitlab which runs exclusively on *nix.
  - cococodez 8y ago
    If you self host, you can install a runner on a windows host and use the powershell executor
    - reificator 8y ago
      Can't you do Windows runners even on cloud? I thought there was a callout on their pricing that said that your custom runners don't count toward usage metrics.
      - boleary-gl 8y ago
        You can connect Windows runners to the cloud. I made an example project here: https://gitlab.com/allthethings/allthethings.gitlab.io https://gitlab.com/allthethings/allthethings.gitlab.io
    - BaronSamedi 8y ago
      Exactly. We support Windows runners for several tools and they work fine. Our developers delight in adopting obscure build tools and we have been able to support them all. On a humorous note, when I told my management that we had updated our process to support "yarn" and "gulp" they wondered if I was just making stuff up.
paulnechifor 8y ago
When you pick tabs over spaces you have to live with the fact that many people will pick a width different from yours. :)
jostyee 8y ago
Currently GitLab lavks global/group level setting to connect a k8s cluster, so we have to set it up one by one for each project hosted on it.

hunter23 8y ago

agreed. After a few years of this, I've given up hope of them focusing on the core project. They have basic usability errors in their merge request and approval flow that makes the product a pain. For example, in 3+ years of using the product, I still have no idea where to find all the merge requests where I am listed an an approver. Our slack channel is littered with folks re-asking people to review their code because there is no way to tell what you need to review. But instead of focusing on the core features, here's probably what they will launch instead: - a slack like chat app - a trello like app - a yammer like app - redesigning the left nav once again - adding even more UI clutter in the merge request box because they still haven't jammed enough crap in there

rstat1 8y ago
They've already done the first 2. Though the chat app part was done by someone else.
Vinnl 8y ago
> I still have no idea where to find all the merge requests where I am listed an an approver. Click this image in the top right-hand side: https://i.imgur.com/vWOxECQ.png https://i.imgur.com/vWOxECQ.png
- lloeki 8y ago
  Approver, not assignee. You can be an approver without being assigned the MR.
  - Vinnl 8y ago
    Ah, that's something else indeed. I guess it does show up in the TODO list which is the button to the right of the one I linked earlier, but there's a lot of other cruft in there, including already merged MRs.
    - lloeki 8y ago
      > but there's a lot of other cruft in there The ToDos is a sort of inbox of actionables. We don't use approvers because we use assignees for MRs but here you'll get anything that requires (or may require) some action on your part, like mentions, assignments, CI job failures you're responsible of... ToDos get automatically "done" when you act, such as replying to a mention. Alternatively you can manually mark some issues as "done" or "to do". I like this workflow personally use them to great effect by practicing a form of Inbox Zero, and combined with the personal issues and MR lists they give me a good picture of what I have to do.
      - Vinnl 8y ago
        > ToDos get automatically "done" when you act Well, that's not flawless. I never use the TODOs view, because it's full of items like this: https://screenshots.firefox.com/wxy2llOZM5g0HWre/gitlab.com https://screenshots.firefox.com/wxy2llOZM5g0HWre/gitlab.com In other words, there's a number of issues assigned to me listed there, even though they're closed. There's also a few mentions that I don't otherwise interact with (I've seen them in my email and that's that), so I'd have to manually mark those as Done in the GitLab interface after reading them in my email.
mschuster91 8y ago
> - a slack like chat app They have, the Omnibus variant as well as the gitlab-ce docker container based on it includes Mattermost with integration. Just awesome, actually.

kornish 8y ago

Agreed that GitLab could really do with some development of boring, unsexy, wholly necessary features now that they're seeing some well-earned adoption. Please, please, please add batch review. Add to that list that big diffs with many files (which are a bad practice, but do happen) causes the entire browser tab to freeze up.

craftyguy 8y ago

You can use git for these "core" features?

ithkuil 8y ago
Batching code review comments is a feature of the code review tool
- craftyguy 8y ago
  It's definitely not exclusive to gitlab/hub/whatever. You've been able to do this on mailing lists when reviewing a patch since, well, ever since email was a thing.

Kluny 8y ago

Plus one for configurable tab width, jfc.

grandinj 8y ago

Paying customers. Specifically, the person who signs off on Gitlab at a company is generally some kind of project manager so they value project management features.

Qwertie 8y ago
All the extra features is the main selling point of GitLab. It's the reason you use it over GitHub because GitLab is more than just repo hosting and issue tracking.
- jlengrand 8y ago
  That, and the fact that you can self-host
  - manigandham 8y ago
    Github has Enterprise edition for self-hosting: https://enterprise.github.com/home https://enterprise.github.com/home
    - pmontra 8y ago
      At $2,500 per 10 users / year [1], vs the GitLab Community Edition download at https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/ https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/ (it looks like a MIT license) Maybe it's worth the price. Did anybody used both of them and is willing to tell us how they compare? [1] https://enterprise.github.com/features#pricing https://enterprise.github.com/features#pricing
  - BjoernKW 8y ago
    You can self-host GitHub, too: https://enterprise.github.com/home https://enterprise.github.com/home
    - jlengrand 8y ago
      You can, at entreprise prices indeed. Which is out of reach for most SMEs out there. This is IMHO a llarg part of what made Gitlab successful.

some_account 8y ago

I LOVE that they are providing alternatives to ugly and slow Jenkins. Gitlab is so much nicer!

michaelneale 8y ago
Hi. Co-founder of CloudBees here (and sometimes contributor to the Jenkins project). I have described the UI as far worse words than that myself, but things are changing: - Reboot the UI (it isn't just changing existing, but replacing): https://jenkins.io/projects/blueocean/ https://jenkins.io/projects/blueocean/ - Getting rid of version numbers and updates, and fiddling with plugins by hand: https://jenkins.io/blog/2018/04/06/jenkins-essentials/ https://jenkins.io/blog/2018/04/06/jenkins-essentials/ (make it ever green, like browsers) - Jenkins X - which is really about how you build apps on Kubernetes: https://jenkins-x.io https://jenkins-x.io - We also have https://CodeShip.com https://CodeShip.com - for those that don't need the on-prem/self hosting flexibility/extensibility and want things to work as a service. Its great to see so much activity in CI/CD these days, really cool to see. Hopefully if you run into Jenkins again one day in the future it wont be the one you have a bad memory of.

Vinnl 8y ago

GitLab has stated they want to manage the full software delivery process for ages now. There are other basic code repo managers out there (Gogs, Gitea, ...). GitLab is obviously able to invest a lot more in their product, but part of the reason for that is that they're not just focusing on being basic code repo managers. For example, GitLab CI/CD is far more useful to me than configurable tab width would ever be. It's not a basic code repo manager feature, but there's a clear reason why they're focusing on one more than the other.

kochthesecond 8y ago

We are paying for gitlab, and the only think I'd like to see from this list is rebase before merge... I think gitlab are doing a pretty good job with their product.

jobvandervoort 8y ago

Thanks for the feedback. To address some of it: Regarding batch review: We wanted to ship this way sooner. We spent an unfortunate amount of time refactoring our merge requests to use Vue. That is now done, so work on this has started and should be shipping on August 22nd, with GitLab 11.2. See also the epic on the subject: https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/23 https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/23 All the other issues you referenced should get appropriate priority. I recently made a change in what team is responsible for code review, so that we don't have to choose between code review and issue tracking features, but rather between different features related only to Git. This should help. (i.e. responsibility went from the 'Discussion' team to the 'Create' team). Regarding viewing large diffs: we're working hard on a better solution. Follow the epic for the full picture: https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/15 https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/15

pabl0rg 8y ago
I’m already following the issues but since you’re here please, please can we have merge + tag in one step and also rebase + merge. https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/22363 https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/22363
- jobvandervoort 8y ago
  Cool feature. Makes total sense. Pinged the relevant people.

BaronSamedi 8y ago

GitLab has moved past being a "a code repo manager" and is creating a tool to manage the entire SDLC. My reaction to this is the opposite of yours. Adopting it has already allowed us to get rid of Jenkins (shudder), and will soon allow us to replace Jira as well. Your wishlist is reasonable enough but I like the direction they are going.

Yuioup 8y ago
I wish I could build my .NET code in Gitlab which runs exclusively on *nix.
- cococodez 8y ago
  If you self host, you can install a runner on a windows host and use the powershell executor
  - reificator 8y ago
    Can't you do Windows runners even on cloud? I thought there was a callout on their pricing that said that your custom runners don't count toward usage metrics.
    - boleary-gl 8y ago
      You can connect Windows runners to the cloud. I made an example project here: https://gitlab.com/allthethings/allthethings.gitlab.io https://gitlab.com/allthethings/allthethings.gitlab.io
  - BaronSamedi 8y ago
    Exactly. We support Windows runners for several tools and they work fine. Our developers delight in adopting obscure build tools and we have been able to support them all. On a humorous note, when I told my management that we had updated our process to support "yarn" and "gulp" they wondered if I was just making stuff up.

paulnechifor 8y ago

When you pick tabs over spaces you have to live with the fact that many people will pick a width different from yours. :)

jostyee 8y ago

Currently GitLab lavks global/group level setting to connect a k8s cluster, so we have to set it up one by one for each project hosted on it.