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Yes! The "killed by Google" meme is young. Back in the days it was like "i want to be like Google" (ignoring the fact that most people don't have scale like Goo

Yes! The "killed by Google" meme is young. Back in the days it was like "i want to be like Google" (ignoring the fact that most people don't have scale like Google and very different problems) and anything out of Google must be good!

vintermann 4y ago
It still is. Google may be killing off its site-products, but not its own software. A lot of open source software Google made for its own consumption (Kubernetes, Tensorflow, etc.) has become pretty much industry standards, despite everyone saying they're a lot more awkward to use outside of Google than inside.
jerf 4y ago
Google also can't really "kill" Go. The license doesn't permit it. They could stop supporting it, at which point the community may or may not pick it up. (I'm inclined to think they would, but I can't guarantee that.) They could try to drag it in some hypothetical super-Google oriented direction (integrating Google Cloud somehow deeply into the language?) but they haven't yet, and at this point, again I think the community would fork and move on. It's not a service they can pull the plug on, it's a software package that would still exist even if the entire Google organization went poof tomorrow. Because if it was a service they could just pull the plug on I would never have started using it.
- johannes1234321 4y ago
  I can't judge, as I have neither any insight into the development structure (how many non-Googler so relevant work) nor complexity (how many understand the deepest details of the compiler etc.) but I have seen different Open Sources Projects die a slow death after the primary developer went way. Everybody depended on the "free" labour being done and once gone one couldn't find agreement on how to go on. But yes, Go's spread is big enough that it won't immediately die and Google would probably be responsible enough to transfer to Linux foundation or ASF or somebody who can help to organize a new structure. Anyways, key point was that Google reputation was different, when Go took up. I can imagine if it would launch now it would find different reaction, which could prevent a community forming, thus less of safety.

vintermann 4y ago

It still is. Google may be killing off its site-products, but not its own software. A lot of open source software Google made for its own consumption (Kubernetes, Tensorflow, etc.) has become pretty much industry standards, despite everyone saying they're a lot more awkward to use outside of Google than inside.

jerf 4y ago

Google also can't really "kill" Go. The license doesn't permit it. They could stop supporting it, at which point the community may or may not pick it up. (I'm inclined to think they would, but I can't guarantee that.) They could try to drag it in some hypothetical super-Google oriented direction (integrating Google Cloud somehow deeply into the language?) but they haven't yet, and at this point, again I think the community would fork and move on. It's not a service they can pull the plug on, it's a software package that would still exist even if the entire Google organization went poof tomorrow. Because if it was a service they could just pull the plug on I would never have started using it.

johannes1234321 4y ago
I can't judge, as I have neither any insight into the development structure (how many non-Googler so relevant work) nor complexity (how many understand the deepest details of the compiler etc.) but I have seen different Open Sources Projects die a slow death after the primary developer went way. Everybody depended on the "free" labour being done and once gone one couldn't find agreement on how to go on. But yes, Go's spread is big enough that it won't immediately die and Google would probably be responsible enough to transfer to Linux foundation or ASF or somebody who can help to organize a new structure. Anyways, key point was that Google reputation was different, when Go took up. I can imagine if it would launch now it would find different reaction, which could prevent a community forming, thus less of safety.