Friday June 1, 2018; 4:04 PM EDT
I use GitHub as an integral part of my development environment. More all the time. As such, I don't like to think of GitHub as an owned thing, even though I understand that it is. I never worry about what's going to become of them. I probably should.#- Would Microsoft stay out of the way of people using it? I have no idea. #
- I bet they would integrate their cloud services with GitHub in some way. A button on your project to instantly deploy it in Microsoft's cloud, turnkey provisioning? Might be attractive. But it would be better for users (such as myself) if that were itself a platform that lots of service providers could plug into.#
- I think this acquisition, if it happens, illustrates why we should have non-profits at the center of the open development world. I can't imagine trusting Microsoft indefinitely. And if Google were to acquire it, that would send me immediately looking for other places to host my projects. #
- Amazon seems like a better match, although I understand Microoft might use GitHub to draw more attention to its cloud hosting services. #
- Update: I was asked why it seems to me that Amazon would be a better match. I have used Amazon's server systems for a long time, and they've never, as far as I know, abused the trust. The products do what they say they'll do, without strategy taxes. Microsoft's record is among the worst in tech. I lived through the 90s when they attacked the web, surrounded it from all sides, and were sued by the government for what they did (rightfully, imho). Yes, I know they have new management, and they are far less powerful now than they were then, which is why I prefer them to Google. #