[LAU] Some disturbing news

Tim termtech at rogers.com
Tue Jun 5 03:42:43 CEST 2018



On 06/02/2018 04:00 AM, Will Godfrey wrote:
> I've just read on The Register that there are discussions between GitHub and
> Microsoft, with a possible buy-out by Microsoft. I really can't think of a
> worse possibility :(


Hi, I spent the day poring over news, blogs, and many comments.
I read both blogs by GitHub and Microsoft CEOs about the plan.

The new MS CEO seems committed to helping open source.
I am encouraged by recent moves over the last couple of years.
Like the Windows Subsystem for Linux, which runs Linux binaries.
I read today that MS is one of the biggest contributors to open
  source projects on GitHub. There's even a fully open source IDE.
The impression I got upon seeing Windows Subsystem for Linux
  and other efforts, was "this is not your father's Microsoft".
It's an expression that I am seeing all over the place today.
(Just fix your OS first, please!)

What does this move mean for our wee projects like MusE?
Would MS mess up or monetize the open source projects?
That would just drive them away. (I am grateful I have any place
  to generally host my code, even if git is decentralized.)
However, if I were a business with a private repo of a project
  that is in competition with MS maybe I'd be worried.
Maybe from now on even poor open-sourcers should pony-up some money
  to help independent hosts? But then they might still be acquired.

This week must be one of the largest migrations of git projects.
SourceForge (who?) is open for business again, the new owners
  got to work and removed all the crap that doomed it.
They want you... again. They want to re-earn your trust.

Many will move away for philosophical reasons, much of what this
  thread is about. But I use Linux for technical reasons:
I'm all hardware and software. Linux was a absolute natural for me.
I loved how I could see everything. Such power. Such absolute knowledge
  of the entire system, HW and SW. The ability to fix HW and SW issues.
Vast open-source libraries available, some of which I used in Windows.
(All of which might not exist without those philosophical reasons, eh?)
I'm grateful for things like GNU and the FSF with people who will even
  argue in court for my rights. I've never really been an 'activist' in
  that sense, but I know a lot of folks here are.

I coded, and had a blast - a total riot, on MS DOS and Windows.
I even made some money from my apps. These days I actually earn more
  from Linux donations, though ;-)

Tim.


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