Github: More on How Free Sucks

So I am really happy to have changed to Git, I already blogged about that. One of my main motivations was so I could use *Gerrit*, a code review tool that makes it so people have to review code before it's merged with the server branch that others are using. Well, what a surprise, turns out Gerrit was a huge pain in the ass, and even after paying its ludicrous ransom just to get it installed and running, it was a serious pain in the ass in operation. First couple projects I had it on, we got all hosed up and ended up bailing out so we could continue working. I may take one more pass at Gerrit, but it's really very poorly done (though it's a typical Java app: it thinks making you do a whole slew of super stupid things from setting up the db, permissions, OS users, etc., is just a warmup to the real fun: configuring the app and importing all your projects, which really sucks).

So recently, I got a *Github* account. I thought it was just for posting free OS stuff, and did some poking around the other day and found out that no, there is a commercial version of Github. Did I say version? I meant versions. And not 2 or 3. There are so many it took like 40m to spelunk through all their BS. There was first the personal accounts. Then they introduced Organizations. Then there was a huge brouhaha from their userbase about paying $100/month, so they did 3 levels of Organizations with the lowest at 25. So then I had to look at all 3 of them, in detail, to find out that the bottom two are completely freaking useless and the only one you could really consider is the $100/month one. My mac mini server is looking pretty good right now, especially since the few things Github offers above and beyond letting me use a tiny little pissing sliver of CPU and disk (that cost them nothing, seriously, guys, compute a markup here, because I am pretty sure it's going to make the slave-ladened triangle trade of the Brits look like a Sam's Club cheese pot). The coup de gras for me was the first testimonial to the greatness of Github was Ruby's cult leader DHH. That dude has about as much cred left as the bespectacled Guthy-Renker sweater guy at this point. After this, I also found another offering!: you can buy Github and run it on your server for the bargain basement price of $2500/year! OMG :O)

The code review in Github sucks. Anyone who has used a real tool (and most of them suck) know this, but let's just be clear.

Now, for all the little apocalyptic OS tweakers who wail about not getting trapped in Apple's horrible walled garden, their developer program is $99/year and I can add up to 100 developers. Who's the freaking parsimonious Scrooge?

I'll stay on my mac mini, thanks. For now I will just get commit emails going.

I am not even really complaining about money here. I am gassing about how free stuff ends up wrapped in a sickening bubble of marketing crap that pushes you into having to just use the top layer of their cruft pile. We switched from Rally to AgileZen and sure enough, went from a basic plan in the middle of the matrix to the top one within a month. Now it's half the price of Rally and all it is is a KB board, and it's got no other components to it. (It's still better than using Rally though.) Furthermore, there's not an ounce of imagination here. Wonder how the guys who built the bloody source control that is the major draw feel about these toll takers making bank on their backs.