93 lines
3.4 KiB
Plaintext
93 lines
3.4 KiB
Plaintext
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2014 21:23:33 -0400
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From: Mike Gerwitz <mikegerwitz@gnu.org>
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To: tom@github.com, chris@github.com, pj@github.com
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Subject: [mikegerwitz@gnu.org: Re: Free GitHub's JavaScript]
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Tom/Chris/PJ,
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I did not receive a reply from [Name Removed], nor do I know if he has the
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authority to speak on these matters. I would appreciate a formal reply from
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GitHub that I can forward on to the FSF campaigns team to determine if this
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is something we can pursue.
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Please note that I wish to help make GitHub more accessible to all members
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of the free software community---members that GitHub targets by encouraging
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the hosting of free software, while at the same time serving up proprietary
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JavaScript.
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----- Forwarded message from Mike Gerwitz <mikegerwitz@gnu.org> -----
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Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2014 20:47:00 -0400
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=46rom: Mike Gerwitz <mikegerwitz@gnu.org>
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To: "[Name Removed] (GitHub Staff)" <support@github.com>
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Subject: Re: Free GitHub's JavaScript
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X-URL: http://mikegerwitz.com
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User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.21 (2010-09-15)
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Hey [Name Removed]; thank you for your reply.
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On Thu, Apr 03, 2014 at 04:45:02PM -0700, [Name Removed] (GitHub Staff) wrote:
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> Thanks for getting in touch with us here. Some of our internal projects
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> are specific to running GitHub, and as such will probably remain closed.
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Unfortunately, the code that I am referring to---the code that is served to
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the client---is not internal; it runs on the user's web browser, just as any
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other software. By visiting GitHub's website, users' web browsers download
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and execute proprietary JavaScript.
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And much of this JavaScript performs fairly trivial tasks---tasks that could
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conventionally be done without JavaScript:
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* Updating account/profile data;
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* Sending pull requests;
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* Forking, staring, and watching repositories;
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* Changing repository/organization settings;
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- Creating wiki pages;
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- The issue tracking system; and more.
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I would consider the starred ones above to be the most essential features of
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the website---it may be lacking, since I use GitHub with JavaScript
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disabled---that users should be permitted to do without being required to
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surrender their freedoms, especially on a website that should understand at
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a deep level the fundamental need for those freedoms (even if GitHub's
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philosophy does not coincide).
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So my question is this: would GitHub consider:
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(a) Permitting those functions to work without JavaScript enabled; and
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(b) Releasing the JavaScript---including any libraries used to perform
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those tasks---under a free software license of GitHub's choice?
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These features would be a great start.
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> We do make an effort to open source projects that we create that we think
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> would be beneficial to the community, some of which is JavaScript.
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And while I and many others do certainly appreciate that---some good free
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software projects have come out of GitHub---these are things that are
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*essential* to the community. Using GitHub's website with JavaScript enabled
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is no different than using any other proprietary software and is therefore
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very difficult for free software users to take full advantage of.
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The free software community and myself would appreciate a strong
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consideration on this topic.
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Thank you,
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--
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Mike Gerwitz
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Free Software Hacker | GNU Maintainer
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http://mikegerwitz.com
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FSF Member #5804 | GPG Key ID: 0x8EE30EAB
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----- End forwarded message -----
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--
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Mike Gerwitz
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Free Software Hacker | GNU Maintainer
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http://mikegerwitz.com
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FSF Member #5804 | GPG Key ID: 0x8EE30EAB
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