In the world of cryptocurrencies, GitHub plays a crucial role as the platform where crypto projects launch their testnets and developers publicly document every change. Microsoft announced yesterday that it is acquiring GitHub.
Microsoft announced yesterday that it has agreed to acquire GitHub for $7.5 billion, further expanding the tech giant’s portfolio of developer platforms. The move has drawn sharp international criticism, sparking debate on sites such as Slashdot, Reddit, and Hacker News, and even prompting a petition opposing the sale of the platform to Microsoft.
GitHub is an independent platform used by developers to manage open-source software. It offers a place to upload, edit, and publicly review source code. For many developers, GitHub is an essential tool for daily work.
Following the acquisition, some voices fear the platform could become overly commercialized, leading to a concentration of power and a shift in how the platform is developed and managed.
Many developers working on crypto projects actively use GitHub because it has been an excellent environment for informing the community about current developments and trends while keeping source code publicly accessible. One Bitcoin Core developer expressed disappointment about the acquisition and said they would look for alternatives.
github: “The plan change was successful. laanwj will be updated to the free monthly plan.”
No longer going to pay for this when it’s just another Microsoft tax. I wasn’t using them for my private repositories anyhow.— Wladimir (@orionwl) June 4, 2018
An alternative platform that is still seen as independent, GitLab, reported a tenfold increase in repositories just days after the acquisition rumors began.
We’re seeing 10x the normal daily amount of repositories #movingtogitlab https://t.co/7AWH7BmMvM We’re scaling our fleet to try to stay up. Follow the progress on https://t.co/hN0ce379SC and @movingtogitlab
— GitLab (@gitlab) June 3, 2018
Whether a direct connection exists between the acquisition news and the spike in GitLab activity cannot be definitively proven. However, Microsoft’s purchase of GitHub could present an opportunity for many organizations to move away from GitHub and seek similar alternatives.
It remains to be seen whether developers in the crypto community will continue to use GitHub or whether this will trigger a broader migration to other platforms.