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Why on earth are you using SourceForge?

Anonymous
2025-04-13
2025-05-14
  • Anonymous

    Anonymous - 2025-04-13

    This is undoubtedly reducing the interactions and contributions you'd get using GitHub, GitLab, SourceHut, or... literally anything else. Sourceforge has a terrible reputation for malware and is pretty terrible from a user's perspective.

     
  • Mark

    Mark - 2025-04-13

    I see the recent news about malware on Sourceforge - but then there are also stories about malware and Github (or indeed Google Play). I'm not sure what makes it a "terrible reputation"?

    I agree the forum isn't very mobile friendly, although I don't think Github has forums for projects unless they've added that now. I can't remember why I chose Sourceforge - I've also used Launchpad years ago for other projects - but it works.

     
  • Stefan Walter

    Stefan Walter - 2025-04-24

    When checking how to submit a fix for a spelling error in one of the translations, I was quite surprised myself that this great project was still using SourceForge.

    There can certainly be malware distributed via projects on GitHub, GitLab, Codeberg etc., but with SourceForge, it was the platform itself that earned itself, at some point, had some negative press there - see https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/05/sourceforge-grabs-gimp-for-windows-account-wraps-installer-in-bundle-pushing-adware/, for instance. I have yet to see other platforms try something like that.

    SourceForge used to be a great platform in the early 200s, and I used to use it myself in the past (e.g. for https://sourceforge.net/projects/opentcs/), but do not trust this platform any more and have moved to the other platforms mentioned. OpenCamera would probably benefit from that, too. (GitHub does have discussion forums. GitLab doesn't, I think.)

     
    • Mark

      Mark - 2025-04-26

      Note that was adware bundled in other people's projects, rather than malware as stated by the OP[*]. But yes, I remember that, although to be fair that was 10 years ago - I don't think they're even owned by the same people anymore(?). If I switched to GitHub, I'd probably have people saying I should move because of something Microsoft has done...

      It affected binaries - if people don't trust downloading the APK from Sourceforge, it's available from F Droid and Google Play.

      Anyhow, Sourceforge works - transferring across would take time away from development.

      [*] I agree that monetising other people's projects without adding value, and taking over official accounts to do so, is not good, but separate to malware which would have to be installing an unwanted program without user consent imo.

       
      • Anonymous

        Anonymous - 2025-05-13

        Keep having fun on this great app and enjoy whatever workflow fits your developer needs.

         
  • Anonymous

    Anonymous - 2025-05-14

    Hey,

    what about mirroring your project to a "friendly" repo hosting webiste, like Codeberg.
    Perhaps I'm not up to date on the matter, but I think reviewers behind Codeberg manually approve of new repo requests.

    That mirroring, if possible at all, might allow for a slow transition to a more intuitive platform, while still allowing sourceforge to be used at the beginning. I think an easier to use UI is way more engaging for new potential clntributors.

    Anyway, great project!
    grettings

     

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