Microsoft buys GitHub (CONFIRMED)

[maginnovision]

ban people from using the internet so i dont get to see "The end is near"-yelling or "why is my pus polarized?"-questions from beamin. 

they'll conveniently ignore the facts.

The internet loves a hate wagon. It helps that they have a mantra they can scream from the rooftops too.

Right, right: if a company changes their CEO, it automatically means they will no longer repeat their decades-long anticompetitive practices. Because, uh, because they are better people now. Right?
 
Us "the end is near" and "mantra repeaters" are only extrapolating MS's actions based on its past business practices. There is zero evidence to expect the acquisition of GitHub to lead to anything positive to anybody except Microsoft.  The extremely high acquisition price furthermore indicates that MS expects to profit hugely from this move, as otherwise their leadership would be on the hook for shareholders for wasting a billion dollars.

So, if we stay strictly logical, and use Einstein's definition of idiocy, you guys are idiots, for ignoring we are only applying logic and extrapolating from past actions, to predict the outcome of this acquisition.  I don't know where your hopefulness regarding Microsoft behaviour stems from, and although I could speculate, only you know.  What you do not seem to realize, is that your optimism is not realistic, and not based on reality.  It is not a place where I would laugh at others.

Except I don't know what you're talking about. Skype is still here, linked in is still here, nobody used nokia devices(Except the few of us who liked windows phone over android and ios) and they bought it because they thought it was a good fit(did you know they make hardware now?).  What else is there? Seriously what has happened in 5 or 10 years that makes you think the sky is falling. Can you show a trend? I don't care if you don't like skype now, or linked in or any of their other purchases because they haven't killed them off. Just like github alot of these companies bleed money the entire time they're around and then Microsoft comes in and throws money at them and tries to turn them into something that can stand on its own, not just on the shoulders of investors.

The world is not some utopia where you don't have to compensate people to work for you, pay for hardware you use, or pay others for the services they use. Come back to the real world and put down the whiskey so you can see a little more clearly. Or leave GitHub and don't use anything else Microsoft has then you don't need to be afraid anymore, they can't hurt you.

[Mr. Scram]

Right, right: if a company changes their CEO, it automatically means they will no longer repeat their decades-long anticompetitive practices. Because, uh, because they are better people now. Right?
 
Us "the end is near" and "mantra repeaters" are only extrapolating MS's actions based on its past business practices. There is zero evidence to expect the acquisition of GitHub to lead to anything positive to anybody except Microsoft.  The extremely high acquisition price furthermore indicates that MS expects to profit hugely from this move, as otherwise their leadership would be on the hook for shareholders for wasting a billion dollars.

So, if we stay strictly logical, and use Einstein's definition of idiocy, you guys are idiots, for ignoring we are only applying logic and extrapolating from past actions, to predict the outcome of this acquisition.  I don't know where your hopefulness regarding Microsoft behaviour stems from, and although I could speculate, only you know.  What you do not seem to realize, is that your optimism is not realistic, and not based on reality.  It is not a place where I would laugh at others.

It was literally a rant against Bill Gates, twice. I'm not laughing at anything or anyone, it just doesn't seem to much to ask for people to understand what they're talking about before they're flying off the handle. Supposed careful extrapolation of past events doesn't really coincide with not having the basic facts straight.

Please don't call people idiots because they don't agree with you. It's not conducive for a pleasant and valuable discussion and is likely to lead to two entrenched sides flinging trash at each other. This forum is better than that.

[Karel]

Microsoft's Campaign To Destroy DR-DOS
Microsoft's Anticompetitive Per Processor License Fees
Microsoft's Retaliation And Price Discrimination Against IBM
Microsoft's Organized Collective Boycott Against Intel
Microsoft's Elimination Of Word Perfect
Microsoft's Deceptive WISE Software Program
Microsoft's Elimination Of Netscape
Microsoft's Attempts To Extinguish Java
Microsoft's Elimination Of Rival Media Players
Microsoft's Campaign Against Rival Server Operating Systems
Microsoft's Failure To Comply With The Final Judgment
Microsoft's Campaign of Patent FUD against Linux and Open Source Software
Microsoft's False Promises of Interoperability

"The EC is also investigating Microsoft's actions to manipulate the vote
of the International Organization for Standardization / International Electrotechnical
Commission on the recent standardization of Office "Open" XML ("OOXML"). As reported
widely in the press and on the Internet, Microsoft's manipulation of the standards setting process
in favor of OOXML included financial inducements, threats, misleading information, and
committee-stuffing.committee-stuffing. These investigations are compelling examples of Microsoft's continued
misconduct related to its monopolies in operating systems and other products."

http://www.ecis.eu/documents/Finalversion_Consumerchoicepaper.pdf

"This anti-trust thing will blow over. We haven't changed our business practices at all."
- Bill Gates, Microsoft founder and then-CEO (1995)

p.s. I moved my repo's to GitLab. It was indeed very easy.

[Nominal Animal]

Except I don't know what you're talking about. Skype is still here

Except it is not for Linux users, unless one modifies the binary.

nobody used nokia devices

You don't know anything about history, do you? Nokia had 30% mobile market share in first quarter of 2010, when Elop was hired. It was Elop who managed to run that down to zero.

At the time Elop was hired as CEO, Nokia was developing a Linux-based OS for use on tablets and smartphones, Maemo, and was developing MeeGo.  The efforts were axed almost as the first thing Elop did (although he did fumble that too, by announcing that line of development at a related product reveal/announcement, killing sales for a newly released product).  MeeGo was backed by Intel, AMD, and the Linux Foundation; all it really needed to get off was a handset manufacturer with cash to promote a new product line.  It failed, because Nokia killed the project. 

The world is not some utopia where you don't have to compensate people to work for you

Just because you do not understand how free/open source software works, does not mean it does not work; you simply do not understand how it works.  Money is not the only resource worth measuring, nor the only compensation method.  There are quite complicated societal reasons behind this, but simply put, even money has only the value you think it has.  It is not backed by any valuable resources, only by the word of certain privately-owned banks.

I'm sure you still do not believe Linux is easily the most used OS kernel in the world, either.  People like you are what Microsoft, LinkedIn, Facebook, et cetera need to survive.

Yes, I will be removing my GitHub accounts, because I do not trust whatever plans Microsoft has for GitHub.

[Nominal Animal]

Please don't call people idiots because they don't agree with you.

It was a reference to how Einstein defined idiocy: if you repeat an experiment over and over again, and believe that this time the results will be different, you are an idiot.

Bill Gates set the operating culture of Microsoft for decades. That model of operation is what its stock owners expect, and require from the company. Because of that, the opinions and statements by Gates will still affect whoever is the CEO of Microsoft. If they don't, they won't be CEO for long, because of the stock owners.

[timelessbeing]

nobody used nokia devices

Wow. You do know there's a universe outside of 'Murica right?

[maginnovision]

Ok, I don't actually have time to argue with idealogues. You guys win, I think linux is a myth and microsoft is my religion. Good luck to you guys.

[Tandy]

For those of you moving to gitlab, you realise that it is a venture capital backed operation the same as Github was. The venture capital investors will be expecting an exit strategy, this means a sell out or an IPO. As there is less of an appetite for tech IPOs that means they will be looking for a buyer at some point in the not too distant future. So Gitlab will almost certainly be swallowed up by a big tech company.

[ataradov]

For those of you moving to gitlab, you realise that it is a venture capital backed operation the same as Github was. The venture capital investors will be expecting an exit strategy, this means a sell out or an IPO. As there is less of an appetite for tech IPOs that means they will be looking for a buyer at some point in the not too distant future. So Gitlab will almost certainly be swallowed up by a big tech company.

It is fine, everyone wants to get paid. The real issue is the acquiring company. Some are better than others.

I moved my private  projects to GitLab, so I don't have to pay MS money. I'll leave public ones where they are for now.

[Mr. Scram]

It was a reference to how Einstein defined idiocy: if you repeat an experiment over and over again, and believe that this time the results will be different, you are an idiot.

Bill Gates set the operating culture of Microsoft for decades. That model of operation is what its stock owners expect, and require from the company. Because of that, the opinions and statements by Gates will still affect whoever is the CEO of Microsoft. If they don't, they won't be CEO for long, because of the stock owners.

That's actually a reasonably clever attempt to avoid responsibility for calling people idiots, but Einstein never said that and the quote isn't about idiots, but insanity. I don't think Einstein would have appreciated cherry picked results to make them seem more consistent than they really are if he would have said it, though.

Microsoft had made a sharp left turn in recent years, both when it comes to their own products and supporting other initiatives. I'm not going to claim that this leopard changed his spots, but claiming it's the same organisation is demonstrably untrue too.

[Beamin]

I for one welcome the day when our Borg-overlords ban people from using the internet so i dont get to see "The end is near"-yelling or "why is my pus polarized?"-questions from beamin. 

Luckily the internet is still voluntary. Also I learned pus is more like a nonpolar amorphous solid. And this broken key board is very annoying. 

[Naguissa]

People keep complaining about nokia and skype. Neither of them was any good before or after so it's a moot point(I owned lumia phones exclusively from the 900 to the 1520, now using an hp elite x3). Might be a good idea to look at satya nadellas guidance since he's been in charge and stop worrying about what ballmer did/would do. Microsoft is just another company run by people.

Sometimes it pays to be a reasoning rational person instead of someone jumping on the bandwagon. Especially if it's the "durr" bandwagon expressing their dislike for the very successful microsoft corporation(+.87%). Let's not forget they've only announced their intention and the deal itself would not happen this year, or at the very end.

And just using my 4.5 years old phone, created by ex-Nokia people when this project was cancelled in a later stage (Meego)....

Enviado desde mi Jolla mediante Tapatalk

[bitwelder]

For those of you moving to gitlab, you realise that it is a venture capital backed operation the same as Github was. The venture capital investors will be expecting an exit strategy, this means a sell out or an IPO. As there is less of an appetite for tech IPOs that means they will be looking for a buyer at some point in the not too distant future. So Gitlab will almost certainly be swallowed up by a big tech company.

Gitlab is opensourced (while github is not), so while now it's possible to use gitlab.com as cloud resource to host projects, should really the worst happen, it would be still possible to use the same gitlab architecture but moving it to a self-hosted instance.

[Nominal Animal]

the quote isn't about idiots, but insanity.

Oops, right. My bad.

Anyway, I still think you're an idiot, in the derogatory sense, for thinking Microsoft's organization is different now than it was ten or twenty years ago, simply because they have managed to finesse their public image a bit.  Their practices have not changed in any measurable manner.

I do believe it is both appropriate and called for to call you an idiot, after you yourself labeled others opinions as "rants".  I can edit that to "unwitting Microsoft peon" or "paid Microsoft troll", if you prefer.

[Nominal Animal]

I wonder if the Microsoft legal team have developed some legal theory, that allows them to include any code from any GitHub project in their own proprietary products, regardless of the project's license?

Something cleverly worded in the GitHub user agreement, perhaps? Or perhaps that will be achieved via a small, innocuous-looking rewording of the user agreement? Perhaps in conjunction with a little-known law in the US?  (All pure speculation, of course.)

I do know that MS would happily pay a billion dollars for the ability to reuse for example Linux kernel code without abiding by the GPL license. I really don't see how MS officers could otherwise explain the extremely high purchase price to their shareholders. The officers of a publicly-traded company just do not get to spend a billion dollars on something just because it is a good cause; they must have a viable plan, or they'll be on the hook for a shareholder lawsuit.

[ataradov]

C'mon they are not that evil. This is getting silly.

[onesixright]

C'mon they are not that evil. This is getting silly.

LOL. You got to be kidding me YES They are ;-)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Naguissa]

It will be bad even for the Git itself, because Microsoft always EEE.

Only if people actually keep using GitHub, or Microsoft's forthcoming fork of the git protocols and utilities.

I wonder what kind of "helpful" mascot they'll push with their mutant version of git? Gitty?

[Simon]

the quote isn't about idiots, but insanity.

Oops, right. My bad.

Anyway, I still think you're an idiot, in the derogatory sense, for thinking Microsoft's organization is different now than it was ten or twenty years ago,

And you are.... um..... unwise... for thinking you can use that sort of language on a forum who's one golden rule is that name calling is not allowed and is a offence that gets you banned. You have been warned.

[Simon]

If windows 10 and office365 hadn't rubbed me wrong, I'd probably be OK with it, at this point I'm stuck on the Windows 7 sinking ship watching my options blip out

Linux has a steep learning curve but it's worth it.

Linux is a pipe dream, unless there is ONE linux it will never be standard. There are literally hundreds of distributions. Developers are very very stuck up and don't like helping newcomers and you often find that it's not so free if you need to make serious use of software.

Why would any hardware or software developer take it seriously when it would mean having 10 fold technical calls with people having problems with their particular weired ass distro? non of the major engineering programs work on linux and some.... ahem.... CS is not even that great in the one and only windows version. The 3D CAD sofware i use is not the greatest on windows and their support and bug fixing is rubbish, I can't possibly imagine them having a linux version and succeeding.

I was hoping ReactOS would come of age but that is another pipe dream and it has been years since I can get anything of theirs to run as they only have one SATA driver and it does not cover the majority of chipsets.

The answer is standardisation and tough oversight but no government want's to regulate big business, they try to entice then to their own countries with the promise of low tax and loose regulation.

[Karel]

Linux is a pipe dream, ...

So, that's why there are Linux versions of Cadence, Zuken, ADS (Keysight), Eagle, Microchip, Altera, Xilinx, etc. etc. ... because Linux is a pipedream.

A reminder, Linux is the most used operating system in the world, even if you don't take Android into account.
It's just the desktop where Linux isn't king.

[bd139]

On the desktop yes. On the server it’s a dream.

Also it is standardised via LSB and to some degree POSIX. If you pick RHEL on the desktop then that is solved. This isn’t 1995 when every vendor’s broken ass C compiler and UNIX implementation needs retarget.
Literally compile and run on any modern ish (post 2008) target. ABI and API are stable.

You’ll find most vendors that target Unix platforms that their product is orders of magnitude more reliable there. That is because it’s where they do the dev. The Windows first vendor’s are pooling cheap windows dev labour as well so you’re not going to get a good product out.

Also got to ask what the fuck is happening with GPU acceleration now. Apple just canned OpenGL and on windows the GPU vendor’s just ship OpenGL and same on Linux.

Standards pah. Monopoly of the hour.  I’d rather stick with standards and an open platform because when altium wont run I’m not going to want to pay for it again and again and again.

Also don’t forget us lot in the software industry are pretty much all heading in that direction. Not many people leaving universities with a windows mindset these days.

[TerraHertz]

C'mon they are not that evil. This is getting silly.

LOL. You got to be kidding me YES They are ;-)

Exactly.
I haven't seen even one mention here of what is probably Microsoft's primary motivation in this purchase.

Background:
Microsoft is all about control, surveillance and dis-empowerment of 'users' (ie everyone.) If you didn't pick up on this from their Longhorn whitepaper, or the NSA keys in Windows, then the Windows 10 telemetry model and being hand in glove with Intel and their Management Engine should have done it for you. Anyone who thinks  the Wintel architecture has any purpose other than enabling targetted surveillance of any and all computer users, is in denial and delusion land. 

Copyright, DRM, media pay-to-view and App rental models are all just window dressing and camouflage, pretending profit motive and stupidity as sole causes for the mess.  But the primary aim is social control and monitoring, keeping tabs on all tech developments and making sure there are no 'disruptive technology' surprises that might threaten Elite control of the people.

Even the 'corporations are required to serve the interests of shareholders, and have no other (evil) motives' is a superficial fantasy serving as a smokescreen hiding the reality. All large corporations like Microsoft, Intel, Alphabet, Facebook, etc have one primary goal - social control in the interests of the 0.001%.

The only potential threat to this control matrix, is independent open-source software development. It's chaotic and unpredictable, and million-monkey frameworks like Linux are easy to infiltrate and subvert. But independent developers still pop up disruptive surprises now and then.  The worst case would be some new hardware and OS platform, that doesn't have any backdoors built in, produced by a previously unknown small, tight group of awake people who can't be bought and turned.

So why does MS want to buy Github?

They don't want to own the code in the repositories. They don't care about that, what they want is supervisory control. Being able to see all the code, in all the accounts, is just part of that. But what they really want is visibility of who is doing what. Not just on Github, but on their own home/business PCs as well.

Remember that with the IME existing in all modern Intel-based PCs, all those PCs are totally open to access by the MS-Intel-three-letter-agency bunch. But there's a volume problem - a need to know who is worth snooping on. It's all about early warning and focus.

So now MS owns Github. That gives them the IP addresses of everyone accessing whatever code bases MS decides may represent threats to the control matrix. Pointers to individuals who might be doing even more disruptive code development or whatever, in private.

Microsoft just bought a method of selecting potential targets. This is why the high price. It's something they care about. Sure, they'll try to screw a profit out of their purchase too, but that isn't the main objective.


Edit to add:
Btw, I've never used Github, or any such version control and dev sharing system. When I look at gihub projects I'm often struck by the total lack of anything I'd call decent project documentation. Which turns me off pursuing it. When people can't even write a one paragraph description of what a project is FOR, I tend to expect their software will be garbage too.

But I should learn. Anyone know of a concise introduction to the general topic of how such tools work? It's interesting that the gitlab stuff is open source, and could be used for individual local project management and in small group projects. This appeals to me.

Also I notice people using the word 'git' as a generic. So 'github' isn't just a made up name? What does 'git' stand for?
 

[bd139]

They don't want any of that. They want market domination. All corporations do.

[Naguissa]

[...]

Also I notice people using the word 'git' as a generic. So 'github' isn't just a made up name? What does 'git' stand for?
 

GIT is the tool, like Subversion or CVS were (are).

GitHub is one site providing several storage and functionality for the tool, but not the only one, as you can use others, install in your server or use locally, as SourceForge is.