:githubbub: minor wording update
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### GitHubbub! GitHub Does Not Value Software Freedom.
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<div class="inline-img octoflop"></div>
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<div class="inline-img octoflop">
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</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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If you hit this page expecting to have been taken to my GitHub profile,
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then this is probably not what you were looking for;
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but let me tell you why 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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Before providing a link to something hosted on a service,
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it is important to consider whether the service or website is antithetical
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to the message you are trying to convey to your readers/visitors,
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and whether it deserves clarification;
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there's a little bit of both here.
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If you're looking for a host friendly toward free software, take a look at
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the [GNU ethical repository criteria][gnu-repo], which sets standards for
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acceptable hosts of parts of the [GNU operating system][gnu].
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If you're looking for a host friendly toward free software,
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take a look at the [GNU ethical repository criteria][gnu-repo],
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which sets standards for acceptable hosts to parts of the
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[GNU operating system][gnu].
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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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[freely licensed][librejs], then the software running in your web browser
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is proprietary.
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[Free software][freesw] guarantees your freedom to study,
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modify,
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and share the software that you use.
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We value these freedoms on the desktop,
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so why should we compromise when websites serve proprietary JavaScript
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[just because it creates the illusion of remote execution][whyfreejs]?
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When you visit a website that serves JavaScript to the client,
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your web browser is automatically [downloading and executing][jstrap]
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(often without your permission) ephemeral, unsigned, untrusted software.
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If that JavaScript is not [freely licensed][librejs],
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then the software running in your web browser 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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**When you visit `github.com`,
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you download over 200kB of obfuscated code,
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much of which is proprietary.**
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This code provides many website features that are fairly essential,
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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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@ -43,40 +50,46 @@ that are fairly essential, and *do not work with JavaScript disabled*:
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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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of their website.
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This is a bit startling for a host that owes its very existence to the
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success and development of free software.
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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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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.
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The first response I received was from one of their "JavaScript Developers":
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> Hi Mike,
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>
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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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>
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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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>
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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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This response is unfortunately misguided---yes,
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it is good that GitHub produces free software,
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but it is a false assumption that their proprietary code would serve no
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benefit to the community:
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the very existence of their proprietary software [gives them unjust
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control over their users][unjust];
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relinquishing that 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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I replied to the above message to clarify my point.
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After receiving no response,
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I forwarded the e-mail to GitHub's original founders:
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[Tom Preston-Werner][tom],
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[Chris Wanstrath][chris],
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and [PJ Hyett][pj].
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The response I received from Chris was blunt and discouraging:
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> Hey Mike,
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>
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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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