Please consider moving to GitLab or GitHub #86

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opened 2022-06-07 16:00:49 +00:00 by Ghost · 3 comments

Unfortunately it is hard for us to use cview as it is because of where it is hosted.

We do not have the same confidence in rocketnine.space as we do in some of the bigger hosting platforms. If rocketnine.space goes out of business, we may lose access to this library.

We also don't feel comfortable requiring our devs to create new accounts on rocketnine.space in order to contribute, as it isn't as secured (and trusted) as GitLab, GitHub, or others.

I personally understand and admire the desire to set up a new hub for source code. But as it stands it's not community-friendly enough and hard to find.

Unfortunately it is hard for us to use cview as it is because of where it is hosted. We do not have the same confidence in rocketnine.space as we do in some of the bigger hosting platforms. If rocketnine.space goes out of business, we may lose access to this library. We also don't feel comfortable requiring our devs to create new accounts on rocketnine.space in order to contribute, as it isn't as secured (and trusted) as GitLab, GitHub, or others. I personally understand and admire the desire to set up a new hub for source code. But as it stands it's not community-friendly enough and hard to find.
Owner

Thank you for sharing your issues with cview being self-hosted.

I would rather host my code on such a large platform, and enjoy the ease of discoverability and contribution. However I felt compelled to move away from GitHub due to the Microsoft acquisition for several reasons. One of the most important is Microsoft's track record with open standards and software. I also don't appreciate how GitHub is proprietary software. In my opinion, open source software development should take place in a more libre setting.

Moving away from GitHub led me to GitLab for a time. I had a very positive view of GitLab until this fiasco. GitLab reversed their decision, but the fact that it was considered at all makes it clear that GitLab wants to harvest and sell user data. Their attempt is frustrated only temporarily, as their latest update states:

We're still looking into defining our policies and roadmap to balance the ability to improve GitLab while respecting user privacy. We're continuing to put together a proposal and will ask the community for review and comment when it is ready.

Instead of continuing to move from platform to platform being subject to their ownership and policy changes, I decided to self-host using Gitea. This has worked out well, it allowed me to regain control of my data and prevent my users and contributors from having their data harvested and sold.

I am sorry to hear that self-hosting causes a lack of confidence in both longevity and security. But I do understand why. Self-hosting was not my first, or even second choice.

For what it's worth, I have many projects which I actively develop and receive contributions for, so this site isn't going down any time soon. Also, there are steps you can take to ensure security, such as using a unique password and enabling 2FA.

Thank you for sharing your issues with cview being self-hosted. I would rather host my code on such a large platform, and enjoy the ease of discoverability and contribution. However I felt compelled to move away from GitHub due to the [Microsoft acquisition](https://news.microsoft.com/announcement/microsoft-acquires-github/) for several reasons. One of the most important is [Microsoft's track record with open standards and software](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend,_and_extinguish). I also don't appreciate how GitHub is proprietary software. In my opinion, open source software development should take place in a more libre setting. Moving away from GitHub led me to GitLab for a time. I had a very positive view of GitLab until [this fiasco](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/-/issues/5672). GitLab reversed their decision, but the fact that it was considered at all makes it clear that GitLab wants to harvest and sell user data. Their attempt is frustrated only temporarily, as their latest update states: > We're still looking into defining our policies and roadmap to balance the ability to improve GitLab while respecting user privacy. We're continuing to put together a proposal and will ask the community for review and comment when it is ready. Instead of continuing to move from platform to platform being subject to their ownership and policy changes, I decided to self-host using [Gitea](https://gitea.io). This has worked out well, it allowed me to regain control of my data and prevent my users and contributors from having their data harvested and sold. I am sorry to hear that self-hosting causes a lack of confidence in both longevity and security. But I do understand why. Self-hosting was not my first, or even second choice. For what it's worth, I have many projects which I actively develop and receive contributions for, so this site isn't going down any time soon. Also, there are steps you can take to ensure security, such as using a unique password and enabling 2FA.
Author

Thanks for sharing your reasons in depth.

For what it's worth, I personally share all your concerns about GitHub and GitLab. But I think the practical urge wins out: community trumps platform. GitHub might be a proprietary platform, but you cannot ignore the huge positive outcome it has had for open source and free software. Microsoft's acquisition has not stopped this momentum. If anything, it has accelerated as GitHub keeps getting more useful features to help collaboration and testing.

I urge you to reconsider your decision. Your work is excellent and deserves more visibility, recognition, and participation.

Unfortunately for now we will have to stick to tview and hope its dev does a better job at maintenance. :)

Thanks for sharing your reasons in depth. For what it's worth, I personally share all your concerns about GitHub and GitLab. But I think the practical urge wins out: community trumps platform. GitHub might be a proprietary platform, but you cannot ignore the huge positive outcome it has had for open source and free software. Microsoft's acquisition has not stopped this momentum. If anything, it has accelerated as GitHub keeps getting more useful features to help collaboration and testing. I urge you to reconsider your decision. Your work is excellent and deserves more visibility, recognition, and participation. Unfortunately for now we will have to stick to tview and hope its dev does a better job at maintenance. :)
Owner

I think the practical urge wins out: community trumps platform.

Sorry, but I couldn't disagree more. I wish you and your team all the best.

> I think the practical urge wins out: community trumps platform. Sorry, but I couldn't disagree more. I wish you and your team all the best.
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Reference: tslocum/cview#86
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