Https-everywhere: Migrate from GitHub

[KOLANICH]

Type: other
M$ is buying ₲H. I guess, It's time to migrate.

[Giltyhub]

it depends on the eff, maybe they can make a self-hosted gitea or gitlab instance and that would be better imo since the eff will have ur privacy in mind

edit: actually that would be a bad idea see my last comment for why

[ghost]

@rogersachan wrote:

I don't think there's anything to worry about.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace_extend_extinguish

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/may/02/google-microsoft-pact-antitrust-surveillance-capitalism

https://lwn.net/Articles/756622/

[Giltyhub]

by the way for those who want the eff to migrate to something else: provide links to migration guides that also include PRs, issues, ... you should migrate the community as well, github is much more than a simple repository :)

[Bisaloo]

The final decision about a migration lies in the EFF's hands but for those who want to delete their github account:

• you can report issues on the Tor Project issue tracker
• you can send rulesets by email

Those two options have been unused lately but it should be possible to revive them.

[gloomy-ghost]

Of course GitLab won't dismiss such opportunity, they've gone beyond providing migration guide:
https://about.gitlab.com/2018/06/03/movingtogitlab/

TBH I don't see M$ acquiring GitHub as a sustainable reason, but it's a good time for devs to realise that they are relying on a proprietary service. I don't think GitLab.com is any better, and I'm not sure whether EFF will want to host a GitLab CE themselves. This proposal will have my full support when federation gets implemented though.

[ghost]

@gloomy-ghost wrote:

I don't think GitLab.com is any better [than GitHub]

GitLab.com is definitely not perfect, but it is better than GitHub in several important ways that the EFF, in particular, should care about.

[DanHarkless]

https://github.com/upend/IF_MS_BUYS_GITHUB_IMMA_OUT is also a potentially useful resource. They're developing a "GitHub Evacuation Guide".

[Giltyhub]

github flagged my account for no reason while I was searching for some mixedcontent ruleset to audit, this is starting to blow up my nerves (and patience)

edit: proof that my account was flagged https://archive.is/zXxgT

[ghost]

I think EFF needs to mirror the repositories of their projects on their self-hosted GitLab or BitBucket servers, instead of migrating away from where the developers are, losing developer base in result.

[ghost]

@YegorIevlev wrote:

I think EFF needs to mirror the repositories of their projects on their self-hosted GitLab or servers

They already do, as has already been noted earlier in this thread. (Please read threads before commenting on them.)

instead of migrating away from where the developers are, losing developer base in result

This is a self-defeating argument. You are effectively saying: "In the face of a de-facto monopoly, give up."

The only way in which the EFF's efforts, in general, will remain meaningful, is if there are ethical alternatives at the electronic frontier. As such, the EFF, if it is to truly serve its purpose, must not give up in the face of challenges like this.

It must, instead, minimise its reliance on GitHub, and encourage other GitHub users to do likewise. I.e. just as it does in relation to, say, Verizon ("Verizon users might want to start looking for another provider.") or GoDaddy ("Please check [out these alternatives to GoDaddy] and, if possible, jump on board.").

[ghost]

@sampablokuper What I mean is that we should be more flexible in order to keep the developer base, instead of being stubborn on migrating away and losing it.

[Giltyhub]

fwiw i was neutral but after github flagged my account for no reason i'm now in favor of moving up if possible

[pipboy96]

@Giltyhub Doubling this, my account was also flagged, and support only removed the flag the second time I contacted them.

[pipboy96]

According to @zoracon this is currently discussed by EFF, but is not going to happen very soon.

[Foorack]

Alternatively self-hosted GitLab instance or any other software. There is along list of other alternatives. I think this is something the EFF should start looking more seriously into, and priorities higher on their list.

[pipboy96]

@Giltyhub2 I don't want to pretend to be a lawyer but I think EFF would be subject to same restrictions as GitHub as a US-based entity. I hope someone with actual legal expertise from EFF will clarify if that's the case.

[pipboy96]

I personally would recommend Gitea.

[gloomy-ghost]

I'm willing to handle the https-everywhere-rules mailing list and the issue tracker hosted by tor project if needed

[pipboy96]

@Giltyhub2 You may contact @Hainish or @andresbase if you have trouble creating an account.

@gloomy-ghost I'm not sure about a mailing list, mailing lists are not private at all. I made just a few posts on one mailing list and now my email address is all over the internet. Also, deleting your posts from a mailing list is impossible, and mailing list archives get indexed by search engines pretty quickly.

[KOLANICH]

I personally would recommend Gitea

I personally would recommend trac.

[pipboy96]

@KOLANICH Trac feels antiquated and not beginner-friendly to me.

[andresbase]

@Giltyhub2 you can email me andres at eff dot org. I'm also on keybase as andres_base

[pipboy96]

@andresbase For now I recommend keeping actual development repo on GitHub, but also creating a Gitea-based mirror repo on EFF's Gitea/GitLab instance. This would make it easier to test the waters before actually migrating to a self-hosted Git repo.

I think this is how we should proceed if EFF decides to migrate:

1. GitHub (origin) ➡️ (mirrored to) ➡️ EFF-hosted Git repo (mirror)
2. EFF-hosted Git repo (origin) ➡️ (mirrored to) ➡️ GitHub (mirror)
3. Deprecate GitHub mirror.

Personally, I would prefer to make the migration unless it will significantly complicate contributing to the project.

[KOLANICH]

Trac feels antiquated

It is a benefit that it is usable without JavaScript, not a drawback.

[pipboy96]

@KOLANICH Gitea is pretty simplistic, should also be usable without JS.