Microsoft is buying GitHub: Has the whole world gone mad?
When I first heard that Microsoft is going to buy GitHub, my reaction was something like this (starting from 1:13):
Ok, just kidding, but at first I was surprised and to be honest a little worried. I mean, I started getting in touch with Free Open Source Software (FOSS) during a time, when the SCO lawsuit against Linux was still going on and Microsoft had a shady role in all of this and Microsoft was spreading FUD against FOSS software, which is well documented. In the past Microsoft didn't had the best track-record when it comes to FOSS, so some resentment from the FOSS company against this company, which pretty much stood for everything that FOSS is not, is not surprising.
But I have to say, that ever since Satya Nadella took over as CEO of Microsoft, this began to change (and more important, for the better). Microsoft even became the top open source contributor on GitHub and even ships a Linux subsystem on Windows 10, something that would have been totally unthinkable a decade ago. Open source software offers also a lot of benefits for big software companies like Microsoft and I have to praise Nadella for acknowledging and fostering this. The days of Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates are over in the new Microsoft, so is their war on FOSS software. Looking at the situation from this angle, it is not that big of a surprise, that Microsoft bought GitHub. In [their official announcement], Microsoft makes it clear, that they want to put developers first (and that they paid $7.5 billion for GitHub), a strategy that apparently goes back to Steve Ballmer :D
Again, Microsoft's new-found commitment to open source is refreshing and if you would have said that Microsoft would buy GitHub 10 years after it was founded for $7.5 billion, you would have rightfully been declared as crazy. The first response of the developers on GitHub was rather mixed I would say, since the number of projects migrating to GitLab saw a sharp rise after the announcement that Microsoft is going to buy GitHub, as you can see on the GitLab stats:
I also used GitLab in the past and was actually very happy with it, but since most of the people are on GitHub, due to the network effect, as a developer you also have to be on GitHub. I don't know what the future holds for the differnt code sharing plattforms, especially since the once great Sourceforge is nowadays more of a niche-plattform. With the rise of web 3.0, we might have a fully decentralised code sharing plattform in the future, which I personally would highly welcome.
you scared me man.
on a sidenote, i kinda like what microsoft is doing with linkedin. it's a possibility that for the first time they're starting to understand what a community is (maybe).
That's yet another service I have to make an account for :D
I really hope that Microsoft doesn't screw it up. As I pointed out Microsoft did change for the better, but when a lot of money is involved (like in this case), you can never be sure. One rather recent example is the city administration of Munich switched back from Linux to Windows 10, even though the users were happy and switching back to Windows 10 costs a lot of money (90 million Euros, to be precise). What made the whole thing even more fishy was, that the mayor was personally pushing for it, after Microsoft moved their German headquarters back to Munich. Of course he denies that this had something to do with the switch, but the impression that it gives is quite a bad one.
oh that sounds super fishy. especially when switching an entire os is no joke.
in south korea the government contracts the most irrelevant software companies that nobody's even heard of. and the apps themselves are viruses that fuck up your system. it only points to bribery and corruption, which is typical in most governments..
it feels like big brother setting up a camera in the house
Yes, even if I try to look at the bright side, I can't deny that it also has quite a negative connotation.