2015-05-16 02:01:09 -04:00
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### GitHubbub! GitHub Does Not Value Software Freedom.
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<div class="inline-img"></div>
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If you hit this page expecting to have been taken to my GitHub profile, then
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this is probably not what you were looking for. But let me tell you why
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you're here.
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Before providing a link to something hosted on a service, it is wise to
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consider whether doing so is a good idea---whether the service or website
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is antithetical to the message you are trying to send to your
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readers/visitors, or whether it deserves clarification. There's a little
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bit of both here.
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#### Non-Free JavaScript
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[Free software][freesw] guarantees your freedom to study, modify, and share
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the software that you use. We value these freedoms on the desktop, so why
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should we compromise when websites serve proprietary JavaScript
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[just because it creates the illusion of remote execution][whyfreejs]? When
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you visit a website that serves JavaScript to the client, your web browser
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is automatically [downloading and executing (often without your permission)
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untrusted software][jstrap]. If that JavaScript is not
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2015-05-16 22:36:37 -04:00
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[freely licensed][librejs], then the software running in your web browser
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2015-05-16 02:01:09 -04:00
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is proprietary.
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**When you visit `github.com`, you download over 200kB of obfuscated code,
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much of which is proprietary.** This code provides many website features
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that are fairly essential, and *do not work with JavaScript disabled*:
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- Change repository names or descriptions;
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- Delete repositories;
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- Add an SSH key to your account;
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- Fork repositories;
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- Create pull requests;
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- Enable and disable project features;
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- Use the wiki and issue trackers;
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- View graphs of statistics;
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- And others.
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That is---GitHub forces you to run proprietary software in order to use much
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of their website. This is unethical.
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#### Desire To Remain Non-Free
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I contacted GitHub back in April 2014, pointing out these concerns and
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asking if they would be able to either liberate their JavaScript, or make
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GitHub's essential functionality work without JavaScript enabled. The first
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response I received was from one of their "JavaScript Developers":
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> Hi Mike,
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>
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> Thanks for getting in touch with us here. Some of our internal projects are
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> specific to running GitHub, and as such will probably remain closed. We do
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> make an effort to open source projects that we create that we think would be
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> beneficial to the community, some of which is JavaScript.
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>
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> You can see a list of some of the open source projects that power GitHub
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> here:
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>
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> https://github.com/showcases/projects-that-power-github
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This response is unfortunately misguided: yes, it is good that GitHub
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produces free software, but it is a false assumption that their proprietary
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code would serve no benefit to the community: the very existence of
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their proprietary software
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[gives them unjust control over their users][unjust]. Relinquishing that
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control is of benefit to the community.
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I replied to the above message, clarifying my point. After receiving no
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response, I forwarded the e-mail to GitHub's original founders: [Tom
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Preston-Werner][tom], [Chris Wanstrath][chris], and [PJ Hyett][pj]. The
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response I received from Chris was blunt and discouraging:
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> Hey Mike,
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>
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> We have no plans to release github.com's JavaScript as free software at
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> this time, nor do we have plans to remove the site's dependence on
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> JavaScript. Thanks for the interest.
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The original correspondence is provided here:
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1. [Original request][gh-request] to `support@github.com`, Tom, Chris, and
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PJ.
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2. [Reply to my original request][gh-request-reply] from one of the developers.
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3. [My reply to the developer][gh-request2] providing more information and
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asking for a commitment.
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4. [Forward of my reply][gh-request3] to Tom, Chris, and PJ, after having
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received no response from the developer.
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5. [Response from Chris Wanstrath][gh-request3-reply] stating that GitHub
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has "no plans" to liberate its JavaScript or "remove the site's
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dependence on JavaScript".
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[freesw]: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
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[whyfreejs]: https://www.gnu.org/software/easejs/whyfreejs.html
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[jstrap]: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html
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[librejs]: https://www.gnu.org/software/librejs/free-your-javascript.html
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[unjust]: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html
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[tom]: https://github.com/mojombo
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[chris]: https://github.com/defunkt
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[pj]: https://github.com/pjhyett
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[gh-request]: /docs/gh/email-request
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[gh-request-reply]: /docs/gh/email-request-reply
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[gh-request2]: /docs/gh/email-request2
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[gh-request3]: /docs/gh/email-request3
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[gh-request3-reply]: /docs/gh/email-request3-reply
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