commit befd7be51afbdceface7a46a4622478f2d0032dc
parent 3bcc10cb7a579f8ba1531ae2eda7f1671a4d6629
Author: Eamon Caddigan <eamon.caddigan@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2023 21:09:59 -0700
Bringing this back since GitHub is getting worse.
Diffstat:
1 file changed, 56 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)
diff --git a/content/posts/giving-up-github/index.md b/content/posts/giving-up-github/index.md
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+---
+title: "Giving up GitHub"
+date: 2022-06-26T19:54:49-04:00
+draft: false
+description: "How and why I'm self-hosting my code repositories."
+categories:
+- Programming
+---
+
+Today I deleted my account on GitHub, and I've moved some of my public
+repositories to <https://git.eamoncaddigan.net/>. If you're looking for
+something that's not hosted there, please reach out to me and I'll send you
+whatever you need.
+
+My new self-hosted repository is built with
+[stagit](https://codemadness.org/stagit.html); it's ideal for hosting
+single-owner repositories on static websites, which perfectly describes my
+use-case. I found this tool through a
+[Gemini](http://gemini.circumlunar.space/) post about
+[git-request-pull](https://alex.flounder.online/gemlog/2022-05-11.gmi), one
+of the alternatives to using GitHub to coordinate collaborative software
+projects.
+
+I've been meaning to migrate from the service since 2019, when [GitHub
+leadership ignored calls from the community and their employees to not renew
+its contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement
+(ICE)](https://web.archive.org/web/20210322043039/https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/letter-from-github-employees-to-ceo-about-the-company-s-ice-contract/fb280de9-2bc3-40d5-b1a5-e3b954bf0d25/).
+More recently, the company released a new product, [which violates the
+spirit—and potentially the letter—of the licenses of many of open source
+projects](https://fossa.com/blog/analyzing-legal-implications-github-copilot/)
+that have made their business possible. This was apparently the nudge I
+needed.
+
+GitHub has become synonymous with Git, but anyone can use the powerful ([but
+difficult to master]({{< ref "posts/design-everyday-programs/index.md" >}}))
+revision control system (RCS) without using GitHub at all. For the solo
+coder (or data analyst), initializing a local repository will provide most
+of the benefits of using an RCS, such as the ability to roll-back changes or
+explore different ideas using branches. [Gitea](https://gitea.io/en-us/) is
+a self-hosted GitHub alternative that operates in a similar vein, but
+philosophically, I'm drawn to approaches that leverage the distributed
+nature of the tool, such as
+[`git-request-pull`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-request-pull),
+[`git-format-patch`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-format-patch), and
+[`git-send-email`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-send-email).
+
+I've become much more confident with Git in the years since I [last wrote
+about it]({{< ref "posts/design-everyday-programs/index.md" >}}), but I
+stand by my critique that effective Git use requires the user to understand
+too many implementation details (although, if you want to get started down
+that path, [here's a great
+post](https://nfarina.com/post/9868516270/git-is-simpler) to get you
+started). GitHub attempted to lower the barrier to entry, and they deserve
+praise for that. However, I've come to feel that the trade-offs they made to
+"simplify" Git were the wrong ones, and the company has shown poor judgment
+in too many other areas for me to continue endorsing their service.
