3 ms·

GitLab is sure not a replacement for GitHub, it has way more limits even for public repositories, and you have to go through a complex application process for O

GitLab is sure not a replacement for GitHub, it has way more limits even for public repositories, and you have to go through a complex application process for Open source projects so you can get full features. So its either small community hosting like Codeberg.org or independent hosting, which both hurt a projects discoverability and ease to contribute.

rglullis 4y ago
For now, that may be true. But codeberg and forgefed are working on adding activitypub to gitea. How about we contribute to it so that we can have a fully-FOSS alternative?
- Fnoord 4y ago
  I'm a big fan of Gitea for small teams. Its also rather lightweight. Is ActivityPub / decentralization viable for git though?
  - rglullis 4y ago
    Why wouldn't it be? Git itself is already decentralized, the main advantage of github is that it lets you discover/follow other projects. With activitypub, you could have people hosting their own servers (or outsourcing to someone like codeberg) and you could follow others no matter where they are.
    - jacooper 4y ago
      The problem is, GitHub and Gitlab will probably not support Forgefed, Gitlab may do it if there is a PR, but GitHub won't, it kills one of their biggest features, exposure. Also Gitea still lacks a Decent CI/CD integration/workflow, GitHub Actions and Gitlab CI/CD are much better than the Drone/Woodpecker + Gitea workflow.
      - rglullis 4y ago
        If the people at Gitlab are minimally smart, they will pick it up after at least one working implementation comes. Imagine being the largest company and ignoring something that could give them not only reach parity but go beyond the incumbent in such a key feature.
        jacooper 4y ago
        I really doubt GitLab + all other Git hosting platforms will come close to GitHub.
        rglullis 4y ago
        Much like Linux never came close to Windows or Mac on the Desktop? It's not a popularity contest.
        jacooper 4y ago
        Its one of the biggest features of GitHub, exposure.
        rglullis 4y ago
        I don't agree. Because of the inherit nature of git, the code repositories are distributed already so this doesn't give a fraction of the network effects that you see in other applications. I think that the lock-in from github are in the other parts of the system: the CI, issue tracking, comment section, etc. This is what "forces" most people to have accounts there if they want to collaborate.
        jacooper 4y ago
        What I meant by exposure is the ease of finding the repo, if you run an open source project, you want people to find it, and GitHub's advantage here is massive. Also when using an alternative hosting, people won't interact with the issues / or create PRs because they have to create yet another account. With federation this would be solved, but the issue is that GitHub probably won't support federation.
- jacooper 4y ago
  Looks like Gitea/Codeberg picked up the work on forgefed too, because before the annoucment ForgeFed was a dead project.
fnord123 4y ago
> comples application process for open source projects https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/open-source/join/ https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/open-source/join/ You're joking right? If this is complex then I guess you've never signed a CLA for apache or any other project?
- jacooper 4y ago
  On GitHub, its free by default, you don't have to email anyone to be allowed to use private repositories for anything(1) Also you don't have to email anyone to renew anything(2) And the project can seek profit too, so compared to GitHub, its a hassel. 1. https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/community-relations/opensource-program/#who-qualifies-for-the-gitlab-for-open-source-program https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/community-relati... 2.https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/community-relations/opensource-program/#how-does-someone-renew-their-membership-in-the-gitlab-for-open-soure-program https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/community-relati...
account42 4y ago
> or independent hosting, which both hurt a projects discoverability and ease to contribute Yet it is the only real solution to not have a megacroporation control the public square for open source development. I hope that efforts to federate source forges succeed because moving to the next hosted forge with generous plans for open source developers is only a temporary solution until the owners decide that they need a return on their investment.

rglullis 4y ago

For now, that may be true. But codeberg and forgefed are working on adding activitypub to gitea. How about we contribute to it so that we can have a fully-FOSS alternative?

Fnoord 4y ago
I'm a big fan of Gitea for small teams. Its also rather lightweight. Is ActivityPub / decentralization viable for git though?
- rglullis 4y ago
  Why wouldn't it be? Git itself is already decentralized, the main advantage of github is that it lets you discover/follow other projects. With activitypub, you could have people hosting their own servers (or outsourcing to someone like codeberg) and you could follow others no matter where they are.
  - jacooper 4y ago
    The problem is, GitHub and Gitlab will probably not support Forgefed, Gitlab may do it if there is a PR, but GitHub won't, it kills one of their biggest features, exposure. Also Gitea still lacks a Decent CI/CD integration/workflow, GitHub Actions and Gitlab CI/CD are much better than the Drone/Woodpecker + Gitea workflow.
    - rglullis 4y ago
      If the people at Gitlab are minimally smart, they will pick it up after at least one working implementation comes. Imagine being the largest company and ignoring something that could give them not only reach parity but go beyond the incumbent in such a key feature.
      - jacooper 4y ago
        I really doubt GitLab + all other Git hosting platforms will come close to GitHub.
        rglullis 4y ago
        Much like Linux never came close to Windows or Mac on the Desktop? It's not a popularity contest.
        jacooper 4y ago
        Its one of the biggest features of GitHub, exposure.
        rglullis 4y ago
        I don't agree. Because of the inherit nature of git, the code repositories are distributed already so this doesn't give a fraction of the network effects that you see in other applications. I think that the lock-in from github are in the other parts of the system: the CI, issue tracking, comment section, etc. This is what "forces" most people to have accounts there if they want to collaborate.
        jacooper 4y ago
        What I meant by exposure is the ease of finding the repo, if you run an open source project, you want people to find it, and GitHub's advantage here is massive. Also when using an alternative hosting, people won't interact with the issues / or create PRs because they have to create yet another account. With federation this would be solved, but the issue is that GitHub probably won't support federation.
jacooper 4y ago
Looks like Gitea/Codeberg picked up the work on forgefed too, because before the annoucment ForgeFed was a dead project.

fnord123 4y ago

> comples application process for open source projects https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/open-source/join/ https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/open-source/join/ You're joking right? If this is complex then I guess you've never signed a CLA for apache or any other project?

jacooper 4y ago
On GitHub, its free by default, you don't have to email anyone to be allowed to use private repositories for anything(1) Also you don't have to email anyone to renew anything(2) And the project can seek profit too, so compared to GitHub, its a hassel. 1. https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/community-relations/opensource-program/#who-qualifies-for-the-gitlab-for-open-source-program https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/community-relati... 2.https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/community-relations/opensource-program/#how-does-someone-renew-their-membership-in-the-gitlab-for-open-soure-program https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/community-relati...

account42 4y ago

> or independent hosting, which both hurt a projects discoverability and ease to contribute Yet it is the only real solution to not have a megacroporation control the public square for open source development. I hope that efforts to federate source forges succeed because moving to the next hosted forge with generous plans for open source developers is only a temporary solution until the owners decide that they need a return on their investment.