SourceForge is both a business and a project...the project was created because the people behind it wanted to build something for the Open Source community. They succeeded, and achieved remarkable things. If you weren't around the Open Source community ten or more years ago, you might be forgiven for not giving them their due credit. But, I was around, and I'm grateful for what SourceForge has provided, and still provides, the projects I've worked on over the years. If they got lost on the way to finding a workable business model, or if they failed to keep pace with the rapidly-changing Open Source landscape, that's certainly worth talking about...but heaping hate on people who've tried to do good things for the community for years is low and nasty and it's something I don't like to see.
Most of the people who use, and have used, SourceForge have never paid for the service. If someone hasn't paid for it, and hasn't contributed to it in any real way, I don't see how it's right for them to complain about it in an obnoxious way (angrily on twitter or reddit or whatever). Send a patch to fix the problem, submit a ticket, etc. But, spewing anger without having done anything to help just makes someone a cancer on the Open Source community. If you don't like SourceForge, don't use it. But, don't pile hate onto someone that's done good things and continues to do good things.
I absolutely understand where the SF folks are coming from. Sometimes, I feel this way, too. When you have a project with millions of users, there's going to be someone who can't help but heap hate and anger on you; it's human nature, I guess. In this case, though, it seems even worse...because folks are kicking SourceForge when they're already on the ground trying to figure out WTF to do to regain some of their old luster.
I'm pretty much certain they aren't talking about "customer complaints" here. I'm sure they don't mind that kind of thing; they've been dealing with it for over a decade. I'm pretty sure what they're talking about are the "SourceForge sucks!" type rants about how evil SourceForge is. And, on that count, they're right to be upset.
I was around. Look, giving away open source software might have been a big deal back then. It isn't now. Lots of companies release open source software, up to and including open sourcing their entire product.
The reality of the matter is that SourceForge is a dinosaur that needs to die. They may have once been great, but they aren't anymore.
Say what you will about the trolls, but they're right. And sourceforge has no one to blame but themselves.
Not to mention that it's our right to say whatever we want on our twitter stream, regardless of if we've paid for or tried to help the object of our complaints. Sourceforge doesn't owe me anything, nor do I owe them anything.
Look, giving away open source software might have been a big deal back then. It isn't now. Lots of companies release open source software, up to and including open sourcing their entire product.
That's not what I'm grateful to SourceForge for. I'm grateful for the terabytes of transfer they've provided my projects over the years. They've also effectively hosted mailing lists and websites that receive tremendous traffic. I have my doubts that github could handle all of those aspects of that kind of service, even now that they've grown up. I suspect they'd have a lot of the same growing pains SourceForge experienced.
The reality of the matter is that SourceForge is a dinosaur that needs to die.
Really? You have no concern at all for the thousands of projects that still rely on SourceForge infrastructure?
I don't think I'm ever going to be able to see eye to eye with you on this one.
Not to mention that it's our right to say whatever we want on our twitter stream, regardless of if we've paid for or tried to help the object of our complaints.
Yes, it's your right to say anything you want. But, bitching without doing anything positive makes you a drain on the community, rather than a help. Bitch all you want about problems; but unless you're helping solve them, I reserve the right to view you (very) negatively because of it.
Most of the people who use, and have used, SourceForge have never paid for the service. If someone hasn't paid for it, and hasn't contributed to it in any real way, I don't see how it's right for them to complain about it in an obnoxious way (angrily on twitter or reddit or whatever). Send a patch to fix the problem, submit a ticket, etc. But, spewing anger without having done anything to help just makes someone a cancer on the Open Source community. If you don't like SourceForge, don't use it. But, don't pile hate onto someone that's done good things and continues to do good things.
I absolutely understand where the SF folks are coming from. Sometimes, I feel this way, too. When you have a project with millions of users, there's going to be someone who can't help but heap hate and anger on you; it's human nature, I guess. In this case, though, it seems even worse...because folks are kicking SourceForge when they're already on the ground trying to figure out WTF to do to regain some of their old luster.
I'm pretty much certain they aren't talking about "customer complaints" here. I'm sure they don't mind that kind of thing; they've been dealing with it for over a decade. I'm pretty sure what they're talking about are the "SourceForge sucks!" type rants about how evil SourceForge is. And, on that count, they're right to be upset.