The beginning of the first week of the month has been hectic for the world of technology. Recently, one of the biggest news circulating is the announcement of the purchase of GitHub, the largest repository of codes in the world, for $ 7.5 billion by Microsoft. The software giant now owns a network of repositories that has more than 28 million users around the world - who have not been a bit satisfied with the news.
Although it has ensured that GitHub's operations will continue to be managed independently, the purchase notice has raised major concerns among developers who fear they may see their work affected in some way.
Probably not even the words of the CEO of Microsoft served to calm the mood. In talking about the purchase of GitHub, Satya Nadella stated that "Microsoft is a developer company and, by joining forces with GitHub, we strengthen our commitment to developer freedom, openness and innovation," said the executive in note .
Impacts on blockchain
The acquisition of Github by Microsoft may have been a good deal for both parties, especially for the repository: the platform has not yet made a profit and has been without a CEO for the last nine months. The arrival of Microsoft softens Github's financial concerns and provides stability to move forward. The technology giant is believed to be interested in Github as a means of assessing what programmers are creating and finding out what the market trends are.
For developers in the blockchain market, particularly the Bitcoin repository, created in a community that values open source standards and freedom of corporate control, Microsoft's involvement raises suspicions. Several developers have already begun leading campaigns to abandon the platform and switch to alternative repositories, with Gitlab appearing as the largest beneficiary to date. Data are released that show a flood of repositories migrating to your platform.
Among the defectors is Wladimir van der Laan, developer of Bitcoin Core. Laan is of the opinion that the repository of the cryptoactive should migrate, and stated in his Twitter:
"I HOPE THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF A LONG AND PAINFUL ROAD FROM GH TO OBSOLESCENCE."
While there is nothing to suggest that Microsoft is willing to start charging fees and using user data right now, buying a community that prides itself on decentralization is hard for many to digest.
Rival companies quickly took advantage of the hype to try to attract some of the dissatisfied with GitHub. According to estimates of the site Bitcoin.com, more than 1,000 tweets were published with the hashtag #movingtogitlab and the company offered 75% discount on its subscription plans. Other platforms have also been suggested, such as Keybase.
It is too early to assess the real impact of the GitHub purchase and what role Microsoft's management will play in the company. However, in terms of image, the damage seems to have already been caused, with GitHub becoming part of the community, under the shadow of its new owners, the antithesis of all that they represented.