Comment by whitehexagon

3 months ago

If a company the size of MS isn't able handle the DOS caused by the LLM slurpers, then it really is game over for the open internet. We are going to need government approved ID based logins to even read the adverts at this rate.

But this feels like a further attempt to create a walled garden around 'our' source code. I say our, but the first push to KYC, asking for phone numbers, was enough for me to delete all and close my account. Being on the outside, it feels like those walls get taller every month. I often see an interesting project mentioned on HN and clone the repo, but more and more times that is failing. Trying to browse online is now limited, and they recently disabled search without an account.

For such a critical piece of worldwide technology infrastructure, maybe it would be better run by a not-for-profit independent foundation. I guess, since it is just git, anyone could start this, and migration would be easy.

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whitehexagon

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notpushkin  3 months ago

I’m pretty sure they can handle it, but given their continuous (if somewhat bittersweet) relationship with OpenAI, I’m pretty sure they are just trying to protect “their IP“ or something.

graemep  3 months ago

These exist, and you can self host.

However, a lot of people think Github is the only option, and it benefits from network effects.

Non-profit alternatives suffer from a lack of marketing and deal making. True of most things these days.

  • brookst  3 months ago

    They also don’t have the resources to ensure perf and reliability if they get really popular, or to invest in UI and other goodness.

    Still great for some applications and developers, but not all.

  • notpushkin  3 months ago

    > Non-profit alternatives suffer from a lack of marketing and deal making

    Sad but true. I’m trying to promote these whenever I can.