Hi there 👋

I am using GitHub but I should not

GitHub is a proprietary, trade-secret system that is not Free and Open Souce Software (FOSS). I am deeply concerned about using a proprietary system like GitHub to develop Free and Open Source Software projects.

Git is a distributed version control system.

Developers should not be coerced to have accounts on any single platform to contribute to Free and Open Source Software projects. Patches can be sent via and applied from emails.

Addiction, pervasiveness and dominance

Github (Gitlab too) have become the Facebook-Twitter of coders. Merchants of "sweet approval", intermediaries we designated when we became desperate for the attention of others online.

Our insatiable desire for commentary, 'stars' & pull-requests has gifted that enterprise an immense gravity. While we are hooked on their mesmerising gimmicks, students are taught Github's interface instead of git commands and are expected to have an account with them if they are to register on the corporate map when searching for a job.

Worse still, we may have lost our soul. Would we write code if no one was watching? For the enjoyment of the practice itself? Those answering yes, fear not, you don't need them! There are plenty of alternatives

Let's move on, there is still a community out there, where we stand a better chance of (literally) unscripted interaction. Our Free and Open Source code, has propped their dominance for too long. It's time to take it back!

I urge you to read about the Give up GitHub campaign from the Software Freedom Conservancy to understand some of the reasons why GitHub is not a good place to host Free and Open Source Software projects.