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An open letter to GitHub from the maintainers of open source projects

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Re: An open letter to GitHub from the maintainers of open source projects

#21

Post by mirekrusin »

decebalus1 wrote: post #3

Honestly, who gives a shit? The whole free market deal everyone is preaching about should just fix the problem. Git is decentralized. If you have a political/ethical problem with Github, move your stuff to Gitlab or host it yourself. It's not a big deal. Although I share some of the feelings in that letter, Github is free to do whatever it wants and we are (still) free to take our business wherever we want.

How do "open source maintainers" know they also don't contribute to ICE? Do their license prohibit ICE from using software they've written?

Re: An open letter to GitHub from the maintainers of open source projects

#22

Post by philipodonnell »

013a wrote: post #4

These open source projects certainly love the very high quality, free services Github offers them, until they start learning how the sausage is made. ICE has done, and continues to do some terrible things. Horrible, horrible things; all legal things, but nonetheless horrible. But, frankly, if its legal, I am much less comfortable with Github's users subverting the US legal system by backdooring their moral code into…

> Horrible, horrible things; all legal things, but nonetheless horrible. But, frankly, if its legal...

Not sure where the conditional is coming from, its right in the second paragraph with sources:

> This government agency is actively committing numerous crimes and human rights violations, in contravention of both US and international law.

Re: An open letter to GitHub from the maintainers of open source projects

#23

Post by staticassertion »

cronix wrote: post #18

Sounds like a great time to start your own woke git service. So you have maybe 10-15 open source packages in your product, at a minimum. I guess we're at such an intolerant point now that all 10-15 of those companies political policies and viewpoints must align with your own - to use their software/service . I guess we've politicized code now. Has anyone looked at the political system of discourse lately? Keep that s…

"Keep that shit out of code", you say, while software services take millions of dollars in government contracts, and spend millions more lobbying.

Like ???????????

Re: An open letter to GitHub from the maintainers of open source projects

#24

Post by ianai »

switzer wrote: post #20
013a wrote: post #4

These open source projects certainly love the very high quality, free services Github offers them, until they start learning how the sausage is made. ICE has done, and continues to do some terrible things. Horrible, horrible things; all legal things, but nonetheless horrible. But, frankly, if its legal, I am much less comfortable with Github's users subverting the US legal system by backdooring their moral code into…

Increasingly people (esp. Millennials) consider ethics and values toward the top when deciding whether to purchase or use a product. Why wouldn't they get together and shame a company when that company acts against their own moral values? Is the best possible solution to wait until the first Tuesday in November and hope for the best? I am sure many will also vote, call their elected officials, go to a protest. They'l…

How about funding GitHub so it has the ability to be picky and choosey about its contracts? It’s really easy to voice concern. But github can’t fund itself on concern.

Re: An open letter to GitHub from the maintainers of open source projects

#26

Post by Eldt »

ianai wrote: post #24
switzer wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Increasingly people (esp. Millennials) consider ethics and values toward the top when deciding whether to purchase or use a product. Why wouldn't they get together and shame a company when that company acts against their own moral values? Is the best possible solution to wait until the first Tuesday in November and hope for the best? I am sure many will also vote, call their elected officials, go to a protest. They'l…

How about funding GitHub so it has the ability to be picky and choosey about its contracts? It’s really easy to voice concern. But github can’t fund itself on concern.

Considering its size and popularity, why exactly can GitHub not be picky and choosey?

Re: An open letter to GitHub from the maintainers of open source projects

#27

Post by staticassertion »

ianai wrote: post #24
switzer wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Increasingly people (esp. Millennials) consider ethics and values toward the top when deciding whether to purchase or use a product. Why wouldn't they get together and shame a company when that company acts against their own moral values? Is the best possible solution to wait until the first Tuesday in November and hope for the best? I am sure many will also vote, call their elected officials, go to a protest. They'l…

How about funding GitHub so it has the ability to be picky and choosey about its contracts? It’s really easy to voice concern. But github can’t fund itself on concern.

Github is owned by Microsoft, and was purchased for ~8 billion dollars.

Re: An open letter to GitHub from the maintainers of open source projects

#28

Post by ratsmack »

staticassertion wrote: post #23
cronix wrote: post #18

Sounds like a great time to start your own woke git service. So you have maybe 10-15 open source packages in your product, at a minimum. I guess we're at such an intolerant point now that all 10-15 of those companies political policies and viewpoints must align with your own - to use their software/service . I guess we've politicized code now. Has anyone looked at the political system of discourse lately? Keep that s…

"Keep that shit out of code", you say, while software services take millions of dollars in government contracts, and spend millions more lobbying. Like ???????????

Taking a government contract is not the same as politicizing code.

Re: An open letter to GitHub from the maintainers of open source projects

#29

Post by hacknat »

ratsmack wrote: post #28
staticassertion wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Keep that shit out of code", you say, while software services take millions of dollars in government contracts, and spend millions more lobbying. Like ???????????

Taking a government contract is not the same as politicizing code.

To you. Peoples' politics are, definitionally, subjective.

Re: An open letter to GitHub from the maintainers of open source projects

#30

Post by rexpop »

staticassertion wrote: post #23
cronix wrote: post #18

Sounds like a great time to start your own woke git service. So you have maybe 10-15 open source packages in your product, at a minimum. I guess we're at such an intolerant point now that all 10-15 of those companies political policies and viewpoints must align with your own - to use their software/service . I guess we've politicized code now. Has anyone looked at the political system of discourse lately? Keep that s…

"Keep that shit out of code", you say, while software services take millions of dollars in government contracts, and spend millions more lobbying. Like ???????????

This is a crucial point. Status quo sycophants tell us to "take politics outside," but what they mean is "take YOUR politics outside, and make more room for MINE."

Politics is money and power. Tech is money and power. Tech is politics. And anyone who says otherwise is trying to undermine your power by obscuring this reality.

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