muckrights-sans-merde
bonum fabula frat
### fdroid-apps-still-pretty-much-run-by-microsoft
other pages:
=> why-would-muckrights-stop-advocating-real-freedom-after-so-many-years.html why-would-muckrights-stop-advocating-real-freedom-after-so-many-years
*originally posted:* may 2021
i have pressed for details many times, regarding this sort of line: http://techrights.org/2020/09/21/github-is-proprietary-trap/
> THE campaign to remove projects from GitHub has been partly successful. Some high-profile projects consider leaving, some have already left, and many new projects reject GitHub from the get-go, instead opting for a variety of alternatives including bare-bones Git.
this part could possibly be true, of course-- those projects on other hosts have to come from somewhere:
> many new projects reject GitHub from the get-go, instead opting for a variety of alternatives including bare-bones Git.
this part im highly sceptical about:
> Some high-profile projects consider leaving, some have already left
really?
who?
the whole reason ive been trying to give people a better sense for the SCALE of the github takeover is in hopes of people leaving. my efforts (including the efforts i made at muckrights) were not successful in my opinion, i wish they were. i got thousands and thousands of views, per each story i did on it (this is what i was told and i still believe that much) though these developers flocking away are developers im not being made aware of.
i think whats actually going on is people are pretending things are better than they are.
do you have any idea how much id like to be wrong about that? how grateful i would be to be able to TALK ABOUT projects that are leaving? (assuming theyre not stallman cancellers, at least).
on the contrary, since i started keeping track of this stuff, node.js and sdl have both moved TO there. but for example, i would love to hear about part of the GNU project (other than gnu.fools-- but a lot of stallman cancellers/coup people are actually neutral or in favour of github) moving from github to somewhere else:
=> https://wrongwithfreesw.neocities.org/gnu-watch.html
in november of 2019 (a year and six months ago) i decided to do stats on all the "free as in freedom" apps on f-droid.
f-droid is all about freedom, albeit on a platform that is in many ways seriously lacking freedom-wise.
i have actually used f-droid every time ive needed apps for an android device. ive owned a few, and f-droid was always there.
f-droid itself is hosted on gitlab, incidentally-- not github, which is good. i actually hate gitlab, but it has the dubious distinction of being slightly better than github-- and not owned by microsoft. there are a plethora of github alternatives out there-- if leaving is a priority, you can find one. staying on github is a terrible idea.
but f-droid is a collection of apps-- more than 2,000 apps in november of 2019-- and i ran stats on those. roughly 79% or nearly 4 out of 5 f-droid apps are github-based.
so i hope you understand why i consider android to be a lost cause at this point-- its basically just another de facto microsoft project. if people creating apps for f-droid really cared about your freedom, they would leave github. the acquisition was in 2018, right? its the middle 2021 now. are people even trying to leave?
thats what i read at muckrights: "Some high-profile projects consider leaving, some have already left..." so if thats true, will the good news extend to f-droid? im not sure.
it would be an ideal update to run those stats again, to go to the trouble of checking every single app in the f-droid collection again. but ive (really) got very little reason to do so, without some very bad or very encouraging signs that point to the likelihood of a real change.
there is SOMETHING i could do though.
i dont want to promote github projects when i can help it (a strict zero-tolerance policy on this is futile sadly, but i do go very much out of my way on this) so i dont link to the projects, but just to give people an example of how bad things are i do list the names of some prominent apps-- ones that look popular or useful, including ones ive used myself.
there should be at least about 1,500 github-based apps on fdroid. a lot can happen in a year and a half, though of those i listed just over 100 examples:
===ADW.Launcher===
* Homescreen launcher developed on Github
===Acrylic Paint===
* Graphical paint app on Github
===Amaze===
* File manager hosted on Github
===Andor's Trail===
* RPG game developed on Github
===Android CUPS===
* Print to a CUPS server, hosted on Github
===AnySoftKeyboard===
* On screen keyboard, on Github
===Apk Extractor===
* Extracts APKs and copies to them to the SDcard, developed on Github
===App Lock===
* Require patterns to unlock specific applications, hosted on Github
===Aria2App===
* Download manager on Github
===AsciiCam===
* Converts whats on your camera instantly to ascii text, developed on Github
===Barnacle Wifi Tether===
* Android hotspot app on Github
===Blacklist Blocker===
* Blacklist for SMS and phone calls, hosted on Github
===Car Cast===
* Podcast downloader / player, developed on Github
===Clementine Remote===
* Remote for Clementine music player, on Github
===ConnectBot===
* SSH client hosted on Github
===Cool Reader===
* Ebook text file reader, developed on Github
===CSploit===
* Android pentesting suite hosted on Github
===Dandelion===
* Diaspora client on Github
===DNS66===
* Implements hosts file blacklist for Android, developed on Github
===DNSfilter===
* DNS filter proxy supports DNS over Https, on Github
===Delta Chat===
* Chat over email, hosted on Github
===Dolphin Emulator===
* Game emulator developed on Github
===DroidFish===
* StockFish chess app, hosted on Github
===Exodus Privacy===
* App privacy analysis tool on Github
===FBReader===
* Ebook reader developed on Github
===FIND3 Scanner===
* Wifi/Bluetooth-based GPS, hosted on Github
===FOSS Browser===
* Web browser on Github
===Forecastie===
* Weather app developed on Github
===Giggity===
* Xcal/PB/Frab schedule viewer, on Github
===Hacker's Keyboard===
* On screen keyboard hosted on Github
===Irssi ConnectBot===
* Fork of ConnectBot designed for use with Irssi, developed on Github
===Jamendo===
* Online music website app, hosted on Github
===K-9 Mail===
* Email client on Github
===KISS launcher===
* Homescreen launcher developed on Github
===Kiwix===
* Offline web browser on Github
===LessPass===
* Password manager hosted on Github
===LibreTasks===
* Event-based automation, developed on Github
===Logcat Reader===
* Log viewer on Github
===MGit===
* Git client for Android, hosted on Github
===Mattermost Classic===
* Team productivity app developed on Github
===MemeTastic===
* Meme generator app on Github
===Mercury-SSH===
* Send pre-configured commands to servers, hosted on Github
===μlogger===
* Records location coordinates, developed on Github
===Mindustry===
* Tower-defense game hosted on Github
===Minetest===
* Voxel game engine on Github
===NewPipe===
* Frontend for video streaming websites, developed on Github
===NewsBlur===
* RSS feed reader hosted on Github
===Nextcloud===
* Syncs SMS with Nextcloud, on Github
===Nextcloud===
* Nextcloud access app developed on Github
===NitroShare===
* Send and receive files over wifi, hosted on Github
===NoNonsense Notes===
* Note taking app on Github
===Nock Nock===
* Website/server availability app developed on Github
===Omni Notes FOSS===
* Note taking app on Github
===Open Manager===
* File manager hosted on Github
===Open Note Scanner===
* Paper note digitiser developed on Github
===OpenBikeSharing===
* Local shared bike finder on Github
===OpenDocument Reader===
* Reader for OpenOffice/LibreOffice documents, hosted on Github
===OpenManga===
* Manga reader developed on Github
===OpenMapKit===
* Field survey app hosted on Github
===OpenSudoku===
* Sudoku game on Github
===Orgzly===
* Todo list manager developed on Github
===PDF Converter===
* Converts PDFs to other file types, hosted on Github
===PDF Creator===
* Creates PDFs from text, on Github
===Phonograph===
* Music player developed on Github
===PSLab===
* Pocket science lab, electronic instruments hosted on Github
===Pocket Paint===
* Paint editor on Github
===PodListen===
* Podcast downloader / player developed on Github
===Pretty Good Music Player===
* Music player app on Github
===QuickLyric===
* Lyric display app hosted on Github
===Red Moon===
* Android blue light filter-- similar to Redshift, developed on Github
===RetroShare===
* P2P filesharing app on Github
===Revolution IRC===
* IRC client hosted on Github
===Ringdroid===
* Ringtone maker developed on Github
===Rumble===
* Off-grid communication app hosted on Github
===SecondScreen===
* Screen mirroring app on Github
===Serval Mesh===
* Mesh wifi app developed on Github
===Simple Draw Pro===
* Drawing app on Github
===Simple Explorer===
* File manager hosted on Github
===Simple Keyboard===
* On screen keyboard developed on Github
===Simple Solitaire Collection===
* Solitaire games on Github
===SkyTube===
* Youtube frontend hosted on Github
===Slim Launcher===
* Minimalist home screen launcher developed on Github
===SmartNavi===
* Navigation app gives step-based directions to locations, is on Github
===SparkleShare===
* Cloud storage app hosted on Github
===StreetComplete===
* OpenStreetMaps app developed on Github
===Swiftnotes===
* Note taking app hosted on Github
===Tanks of Freedom===
* Strategy game on Github
===Text Edit===
* Text editor developed on Github
===Timber===
* Android log tool hosted on Github
===Tinc App===
* VPN client on Github
===Tinc===
* VPN app developed on Github
===Todo Agenda===
* Organiser widgets app hosted on Github
===Tusky===
* Mastodon client on Github
===Tutanota===
* Encrypted email app developed on Github
===Twidere===
* Twitter client hosted on Github
===Unit Converter Ultimate===
* Unit conversion app on Github
===Vector Pinball===
* Pinball game developed on Github
===Vespucci===
* OpenStreetMap editor hosted on Github
===VirtualXposed===
* Use Xposed modules without rooting phone, on Github
===WiFi Walkie Talkie===
* Hotspot-optional walkie talkie app developed on Github
===XScreenSaver===
* Live wallpaper and screensaver app hosted on Github
===Yubico Authenticator===
* NFC authentication app on Github
===Zim Launcher===
* Home screen launcher developed on Github
these are the examples i listed in 2019. if we are looking for good news, maybe at least one of these projects moved, right?
well, sort of...
===Acrylic Paint===
* Graphical paint app on Github
"acrylic paint" is built from source hosted at gitpull.it, although they still use github too.
and the rest?
bad news, actually. the other 100 or so are STILL based on github, in the middle of 2021.
i am still waiting for good news-- i welcome good news, but i do not intend to MAKE UP good news.
instead, i think we should consider the idea that microsoft has an undue amount of control over android development, at least regarding the apps that contribute to f-droid.
if i were f-droid id be telling people "we accept github-based applications, but we strongly encourage you to host your free software somewhere else". it costs nothing to say that! its EASY!
maybe even the fsf would like to try encouraging that? oh, but they already outsource enough of the gnu project itself, im sure if its good enough for gnu to be controlled by ibm and microsoft, its good enough for android (which is controlled by google).
are we free yet? because it seems more like this so-called "free software" is headed in the other direction.
let me know when the fsf gives a shit about any of this. oh, i believe they used to. i mean now, today-- this year. yeah, right. stallman at least? no, like i said-- the real stallman is not coming back. people think he stepped down in 2019, but its more like he resigned in 2011.
=> https://muckrights-sans-merde.neocities.org/the-bullet-points-that-killed-free-software.html
```
MinceR even RMS doesn't have the same cultural values that RMS had
when he kicked this thing off Jan 08 16:03
```
if the cost of freedom is eternal vigilance, the fsf doesnt have it in their budget.
=> https://muckrights-sans-merde.neocities.org