More than 14 years ago, I migrated my 26 open source code project to GitHub. Back then GitHub was a fresh and modern platform pushing the boundaries of collaborative software development. Over the years, however, my perspective on GitHub has changed significantly.
I have recently migrated my by now 79 repositories from GitHub to Codeberg, a decision driven by several significant factors.
Concerns Regarding Generative AI
Section titled “Concerns Regarding Generative AI”
The pervasive trend of generative AI is impacting many corporations, including Microsoft and by exte…
More than 14 years ago, I migrated my 26 open source code project to GitHub. Back then GitHub was a fresh and modern platform pushing the boundaries of collaborative software development. Over the years, however, my perspective on GitHub has changed significantly.
I have recently migrated my by now 79 repositories from GitHub to Codeberg, a decision driven by several significant factors.
Concerns Regarding Generative AI
Section titled “Concerns Regarding Generative AI”
The pervasive trend of generative AI is impacting many corporations, including Microsoft and by extension, GitHub. There are widespread concerns about the disregard for existing copyrights held by creators, artists, and scientists, as well as the substantial environmental footprint of these technologies. While generative AI may offer some legitimate applications, it is frequently being employed for less constructive purposes: degrading existing services, exacerbating data harvesting, and increasing surveillance. I view the current trajectory of “AI” development with significant apprehension. GitHub’s own offering, CoPilot, exemplifies these concerns. By incorporating code from numerous developers without regard for licensing terms, it generates output that is often suboptimal and may infringe on original authorship and licensing. This has led to the emergence of “AI Policies” within projects to manage the influx of automated, low-quality contributions. I am unwilling to have my code used in this manner, particularly without proper attribution or respect for open source principles like the GPL. This is fundamentally at odds with the spirit of open source collaboration.
Prioritizing Data Privacy
Section titled “Prioritizing Data Privacy”
GitHub’s ownership by Microsoft places it within the sphere of potential US government influence. This means that data held by Microsoft could be subject to disclosure orders from the US government, regardless of the legality or ethical implications.
My aim is to minimize my reliance on US-based products and services as a personal protest against what I perceive as authoritarian tendencies. While I can generally accept services from various nations, the US stands out due to perceived hostility towards European values, freedoms, rights, and ways of life. Furthermore, major tech corporations, including Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, appear to align themselves with and financially support the current political climate, which I view as problematic. Consequently, I am hesitant to utilize services associated with such entities.
Supporting Open Source Alternatives
Section titled “Supporting Open Source Alternatives”
GitHub’s proprietary, closed-source infrastructure undermines data sovereignty by locking users into systems they cannot audit, modify, or self-host. Users have no control over how their data is processed, stored, or potentially exploited for profit-driven features, creating dependency on a single corporate entity’s decisions and practices. Codeberg, on the other hand, is built on Forgejo, an open source code forge that emphasizes user privacy and data sovereignty.
The Transition to Codeberg
Section titled “The Transition to Codeberg”
As a result of these concerns, I have moved my projects to Codeberg: codeberg.org/stv0g. For already two years, I am supporting Codeberg e.V. as a regular member. By now migrating my projects Codeberg, I am aligning my open source work with a platform that shares my values regarding privacy, data sovereignty, and respect for open source principles.
Codeberg’s provides a reliable and privacy-respecting source code hosting for open source projects. While in most cases still accepted, this excludes private repositories, or projects not licensed under an open-source license, such as this blog’s source code. For this reason I also operate a self-hosted Forgejo instance at git.0l.de for my private and non-open source projects.