6 ms·

I guarantee, as usual someone posts something along the lines of "This is why you should self-host <insert github alternative here>." Followed by comments like

I guarantee, as usual someone posts something along the lines of "This is why you should self-host <insert github alternative here>." Followed by comments like "Yeah, if you have time to maintain it"

idrios 5y ago
Meh, it's a good way to learn about github alternatives or hear anecdotes from people who have tried doing it.
- willejs 5y ago
  That is a good point...
- hknapp 5y ago
  I recommend "git init --bare" and a $5 server on digital ocean
  - rudian 5y ago
    Classic “I can make Dropbox with rsync” comment
    - JasonFruit 5y ago
      But if you can, maybe it's the right answer for you. Maybe the right answer for others is to learn to do it. For yet others, it's, "Use Dropbox." Why is, "This works for me, and might for you," not an acceptable answer?
      - dogleash 5y ago
        Everyone likes to think they're the smart person laughing at the "Faster Horses" guy in that Henry Ford quote. And I don't think the moral of that quote means what most people think it means either. But anyway... I'm with you. I was looking for a HN comment I saw once so I could link to it. A guy was explaining how his response to "why do you use linux?" is "it gives me more control" but his response to "what would Linux let me do that windows doesn't?" and his response would be "nothing". If that person didn't already know, then there's no valid answer that actually applies to that person. But it's flashier to have a subscription product instead of a strong commons and self-sufficiency.
      - rudian 5y ago
        Because I believe it's bad advice. Web services are never "git and a $5 box", you must preserve them and keep them up to date. I can trust GitHub with my deploy secrets; Can you trust your $5 last-updated-in-2019 box? If you self-host, either you're a sysadmin or you must become one. Plus GitHub is not just git, so I hope you'll also like to you set up "GitHub Actions" on that $5 box.
        JasonFruit 5y ago
        All you are saying is that there are people for whom self-hosting is right, and others for whom it is not right. We don't disagree on that.
    - belter 5y ago
      And Dropbox for 8 years of its life was basically this: aws s3 sync source destination
      - sam1r 5y ago
        Seriously?
        belter 5y ago
        Yes. Seriously. "...Half-a-billion people stored files on Dropbox. Well, sort of. Really, the files were in Amazon’s cloud..." https://www.wired.com/2016/03/epic-story-dropboxs-exodus-amazon-cloud-empire/ https://www.wired.com/2016/03/epic-story-dropboxs-exodus-ama...
      - spdionis 5y ago
        How do I run that on my phone?
        deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
      - rudian 5y ago
        Sounds like you never used Dropbox. DB lets you share files or folders with anyone, with read-only or write access, without wasting any time whatsoever with AWS config; With Dropdox you just need a right click. If you need backup, then use rsync, but Dropbox isn't just backup.
        belter 5y ago
        Wasting time on AWS configuration? As easy as: aws s3 presign s3://<bucketname>/<object> The original rsync comment, here in this community, does not get the respect that it deserves. If you are a user, maybe you should read this: "Criticism of Dropbox" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Dropbox https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Dropbox
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
nawgz 5y ago
I unironically think GitLab is a better piece of software, but this type of situation arises way more regularly on self-hosted, so I fully agree with your point that this isn't really something to hold against GH
carapace 5y ago
It's deeply ironic that git, a free distributed VCS, should be so completely pwned by a proprietary centralized service. (And beyond ironic that so many FOSS projects rely on it, especially after it was acquired by Microsoft. Blows my mind every time I think about it.)
- pdimitar 5y ago
  I see nothing mind-blowing about the fact that 99% of the developers on the ground are not willing to take on the challenge of inventing and bootstrapping a completely decentralized network. And that they need to work today and not after 10 years, when such an effort maybe finally takes off. Do you find these mind-blowing? As for self-hosting GitHub, yes, that's much more viable and I believe more of us should be doing it (although I personally plan to still have GitHub as a central source of truth and just backup all my repos to several servers under my control). But GitHub is also very socially entrenched and provides a real value-add in terms of good PR interface, Wiki, issues, discussions and whatnot.
  - carapace 5y ago
    The mind-blowing thing is, first, that FOSS projects use a proprietary system (for DVCS and for "good PR interface, Wiki, issues, discussions and whatnot") at all and second that they didn't bail en mass when it was acquired by MS, the traditional bogeyman of FOSS philosophy.
    - pdimitar 5y ago
      People are busy. They need to get work done today. I'll migrate all my repos tomorrow -- and deprive myself of sleep if I have to -- if a solid GitHub competitor shows up. (And I'm not counting GitLab, it's worse in almost every way. And is very slow.) We're way past idealistic slogans. Be the change you want to see. Give example to the rest of us. Many will follow. In the meantime, I want my free time mostly free of computers.
      - carapace 5y ago

I guarantee, as usual someone posts something along the lines of "This is why you should self-host <insert github alternative here>." Followed by comments like "Yeah, if you have time to maintain it"

idrios 5y ago

Meh, it's a good way to learn about github alternatives or hear anecdotes from people who have tried doing it.

willejs 5y ago
That is a good point...
hknapp 5y ago
I recommend "git init --bare" and a $5 server on digital ocean
- rudian 5y ago
  Classic “I can make Dropbox with rsync” comment
  - JasonFruit 5y ago
    But if you can, maybe it's the right answer for you. Maybe the right answer for others is to learn to do it. For yet others, it's, "Use Dropbox." Why is, "This works for me, and might for you," not an acceptable answer?
    - dogleash 5y ago
      Everyone likes to think they're the smart person laughing at the "Faster Horses" guy in that Henry Ford quote. And I don't think the moral of that quote means what most people think it means either. But anyway... I'm with you. I was looking for a HN comment I saw once so I could link to it. A guy was explaining how his response to "why do you use linux?" is "it gives me more control" but his response to "what would Linux let me do that windows doesn't?" and his response would be "nothing". If that person didn't already know, then there's no valid answer that actually applies to that person. But it's flashier to have a subscription product instead of a strong commons and self-sufficiency.
    - rudian 5y ago
      Because I believe it's bad advice. Web services are never "git and a $5 box", you must preserve them and keep them up to date. I can trust GitHub with my deploy secrets; Can you trust your $5 last-updated-in-2019 box? If you self-host, either you're a sysadmin or you must become one. Plus GitHub is not just git, so I hope you'll also like to you set up "GitHub Actions" on that $5 box.
      - JasonFruit 5y ago
        All you are saying is that there are people for whom self-hosting is right, and others for whom it is not right. We don't disagree on that.
  - belter 5y ago
    And Dropbox for 8 years of its life was basically this: aws s3 sync source destination
    - sam1r 5y ago
      Seriously?
      - belter 5y ago
        Yes. Seriously. "...Half-a-billion people stored files on Dropbox. Well, sort of. Really, the files were in Amazon’s cloud..." https://www.wired.com/2016/03/epic-story-dropboxs-exodus-amazon-cloud-empire/ https://www.wired.com/2016/03/epic-story-dropboxs-exodus-ama...
    - spdionis 5y ago
      How do I run that on my phone?
      - deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
    - rudian 5y ago
      Sounds like you never used Dropbox. DB lets you share files or folders with anyone, with read-only or write access, without wasting any time whatsoever with AWS config; With Dropdox you just need a right click. If you need backup, then use rsync, but Dropbox isn't just backup.
      - belter 5y ago
        Wasting time on AWS configuration? As easy as: aws s3 presign s3://<bucketname>/<object> The original rsync comment, here in this community, does not get the respect that it deserves. If you are a user, maybe you should read this: "Criticism of Dropbox" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Dropbox https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Dropbox
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

nawgz 5y ago

I unironically think GitLab is a better piece of software, but this type of situation arises way more regularly on self-hosted, so I fully agree with your point that this isn't really something to hold against GH

carapace 5y ago

It's deeply ironic that git, a free distributed VCS, should be so completely pwned by a proprietary centralized service. (And beyond ironic that so many FOSS projects rely on it, especially after it was acquired by Microsoft. Blows my mind every time I think about it.)

pdimitar 5y ago
I see nothing mind-blowing about the fact that 99% of the developers on the ground are not willing to take on the challenge of inventing and bootstrapping a completely decentralized network. And that they need to work today and not after 10 years, when such an effort maybe finally takes off. Do you find these mind-blowing? As for self-hosting GitHub, yes, that's much more viable and I believe more of us should be doing it (although I personally plan to still have GitHub as a central source of truth and just backup all my repos to several servers under my control). But GitHub is also very socially entrenched and provides a real value-add in terms of good PR interface, Wiki, issues, discussions and whatnot.
- carapace 5y ago
  The mind-blowing thing is, first, that FOSS projects use a proprietary system (for DVCS and for "good PR interface, Wiki, issues, discussions and whatnot") at all and second that they didn't bail en mass when it was acquired by MS, the traditional bogeyman of FOSS philosophy.
  - pdimitar 5y ago
    People are busy. They need to get work done today. I'll migrate all my repos tomorrow -- and deprive myself of sleep if I have to -- if a solid GitHub competitor shows up. (And I'm not counting GitLab, it's worse in almost every way. And is very slow.) We're way past idealistic slogans. Be the change you want to see. Give example to the rest of us. Many will follow. In the meantime, I want my free time mostly free of computers.
    - carapace 5y ago