[masonicb00m]

The cool thing about git is it doesn’t matter what happens to the platform. You can take your repo and push it somewhere else if you don’t like how Microsoft runs the show. Given how Microsoft took Github’s idea with Atom and ran with it to make VSCode, I wouldn’t be surprised if Github improves under Microsoft’s rule.

[jarfil]

The problem lies in the comments and issue tracking, which are not stored in git. Sure, you can clone the repo, but you can only take the wiki with you, the rest would be lost.

[gpantazes]

So what I'm hearing is the solution to this migration problem is to also store the entire issue tracker as a git repo alongside the real repo and wiki repo? Git repos for all the things! (Seriously, I think this solution would fit right in along with the way Wikis are handled)

[PretzelFisch]

How hard is it for some ont to use the GitHub api and port all of that over to a new system?

[greenhatman]

GitLab already has an automated migrator you can use.

[manigandham]

Github has APIs to export all of this. Some services have importers to rebuild the issues but at the very least the data won't be lost.

[Fomite]

To my mind, the actual problem is neither one of those things, but if Github is wrapped up into some new project. Many of the citations for Github aren't for software, but as a stable, open store for data.

Which means if that URL changes, that link - in a physical paper - goes stale.

[masonicb00m]

If you need stable links then buy yourself a domain or use a URL shortener that you can update. Might be wise to also provide content hashes of the data you're referencing in your paper.

[Cyphase]

Even if it does get merged or renamed, I don't see why Microsoft wouldn't forward the URLs.

Link rot is a real issue in general though, I don't mean to minimize that.

[Fomite]

I agree - which is why I haven't moved my lab's accounts.

[kwhitefoot]

Surely it ought to be possible to store all that stuff in git as well.

[moogly]

Won't GDPR legislation force GitHub to make that exportable?

[detaro]

It's already exportable through the API, that's not the problem.

[tandav]

So many repos don't use wiki. Just create docs/ folder and store .md there