Re: [libreplanet-discuss] Issues on GitHub, Issues on GitHub

[Aaron Wolf]

On 2019-03-27 3:24 a.m., Dmitry Alexandrov wrote:
> bill-auger <bill-auger@peers.community> wrote:
>> On Wed, 27 Mar 2019 01:05:58 -0500 Cal wrote:
>>> GitHub requires proprietary software (JavaScript).
>>
>> most of the github website is functional with librejs, including opening bug 
>> reports and commenting on existing ones
> 
> Yes, it’s indeed much more freedom-friendly than, say, GitLab, which is is 
> one of those wretched websites, that are not even _readable¹_ without running 
> ad-hoc nonfree software, yet ironically widely believed to be a better 
> alternative.

Dmitry, you seem to be conflating compatibility with LibreJS (in its
current state) and non-free software. LibreJS often has false flags.
100% of GitLab's client-side JavaScript is free software. It's believed
to be a better alternative because it actually is more free. The
"community edition" such as is run at https://git.framasoft.org/ is
completely 100% free software.

Last I checked, the only non-free issue with GitLab Community Edition is
its own use of CAPTCHA as discussed at
https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/46548

Now, your complaints about GitLab failing to have a good fallback
without JavaScript — that's valid from a bad-web-design argument and I
happen to agree with you and really hate the heavy JavaScript web-app
style of modern websites.

The software-freedom related concern is that sites running all this
JavaScript, even when freely licensed, allows them to arbitrarily do a
lot of stuff people may not expect or want simply by visiting a website.
Thankfully, GitLab is something of an exception because they even
removed Google Analytics and other problematic things in direct response
to concerns from us in the free software movement.

https://about.gitlab.com/2015/05/20/gitlab-gitorious-free-software/

Anyway, keep in mind that LibreJS failing to *recognize* something as
free software does not mean the software is non-free. It may just mean
that LibreJS and the website aren't set up correctly to validate the
software's terms.

> 
> However, GitHub still imposes nonfree software on you at the moment of 
> registration.  Due to its nature — it’s a CAPTCHA, that is it designed to be 
> unavoidable, there hardly any solution exists.
> 
> -
> ¹ GitLab is actually even more miserable in that respect, than something like 
> https://code.gov, which honestly shows you faceplate, informing you, that its 
> developers were unable to create a proper web-interface.  GitLab, on the 
> other hand, presents an _incomplete_ page without any notice, basically lying 
> to an unaware visitor.
> 
> 
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