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Why does he keep calling GitHub a "forge"? Is calling a code repository a "forge" something common that I just haven't run across before?

justin_oaks 3y ago
It is strange to me too. I would have gone with something like "Git host" or "code hosting service". The term "forge", when applied to something other than metalworking, still implies a place where things are made, molded, or altered. It doesn't seem fitting for a place where you store your source code and make it available for download.
pottertheotter 3y ago
I think it’s a 90’s/2000’s term (e.g. SourceForge) that is now archaic. See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forge_(software) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forge_(software): “In FOSS development communities, a forge is a web-based collaborative software platform for both developing and sharing computer applications. The term forge refers to a common prefix or suffix adopted by various platforms created after the example of SourceForge. This usage of the word stems from the metalworking forge, used for shaping metal parts.”
- MattPalmer1086 3y ago
  First time I have ever heard that. Yes, of course I know SourceForge, but never heard the term forge being used generically, like, ever.
  - leephillips 3y ago
    Neither have I. Probably because almost nobody uses the term that way. It’s just Wikipedia—in other words, just something somebody made up. There’s no citation.
    - mikecoles 3y ago
      A forge is just a place where people go to bang out something useful or entertaining. It's not common, put the name comes up in dev contexts.
      - irrational 3y ago
        What dev contexts? Do you have a citation? I’ve been a developer for just shy of 25 years and have never heard or read “forge” used in that way.
mplewis 3y ago
Yes, this is a common term for a GitHub-like system: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forge_(software) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forge_(software)
deleted 3y ago
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justin_oaks 3y ago

It is strange to me too. I would have gone with something like "Git host" or "code hosting service". The term "forge", when applied to something other than metalworking, still implies a place where things are made, molded, or altered. It doesn't seem fitting for a place where you store your source code and make it available for download.

pottertheotter 3y ago

I think it’s a 90’s/2000’s term (e.g. SourceForge) that is now archaic. See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forge_(software) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forge_(software): “In FOSS development communities, a forge is a web-based collaborative software platform for both developing and sharing computer applications. The term forge refers to a common prefix or suffix adopted by various platforms created after the example of SourceForge. This usage of the word stems from the metalworking forge, used for shaping metal parts.”

MattPalmer1086 3y ago
First time I have ever heard that. Yes, of course I know SourceForge, but never heard the term forge being used generically, like, ever.
- leephillips 3y ago
  Neither have I. Probably because almost nobody uses the term that way. It’s just Wikipedia—in other words, just something somebody made up. There’s no citation.
  - mikecoles 3y ago
    A forge is just a place where people go to bang out something useful or entertaining. It's not common, put the name comes up in dev contexts.
    - irrational 3y ago
      What dev contexts? Do you have a citation? I’ve been a developer for just shy of 25 years and have never heard or read “forge” used in that way.

mplewis 3y ago

Yes, this is a common term for a GitHub-like system: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forge_(software) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forge_(software)

deleted 3y ago

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