GIMP, Citing Ad Policies, Moves to FTP Rather Than SourceForge Downloads 336
Dangerous_Minds writes "GIMP, a free and open source alternative to image manipulation software like Photoshop, recently announced that it will no longer be distributing their program through SourceForge. Citing some of the ads as reasons, they say that the tipping point was 'the introduction of their own SourceForge Installer software, which bundles third-party offers with Free Software packages. We do not want to support this kind of behavior, and have thus decided to abandon SourceForge.' The policy changes were reported back in August by Gluster. GIMP is now distributing their software via their own FTP page instead." Note: SourceForge and Slashdot share a corporate parent.
Good! (Score:5, Interesting)
As a fellow SourceForge user, I was also outraged when I noticed this. SourceForge used to be the go-to place if you had an Open Source project you wanted hosted. They've lacked focus for some time, making all sorts of failed changes that only bloated their surface area without bringing any actual benefit. Perhaps the screws are to them to become profitable. Slashdot's semi-recent foray into HTML5 randomness and video-ads-as-articles shows similar direction.
They've lost a lot of their user base, are bleeding what they've still got, and potential new users are almost universally going to GitHub and the like. It's a bit depressing.
Re:Good! (Score:5, Interesting)
Someone should mirror sourceforge so when they do implode, the code/documents from any dormant projects isn't lost
Yeah.... (Score:5, Interesting)
Alternate host? (Score:5, Interesting)
sf.net was the only project host which still offered release downloads. Not every project can afford a deviated download solutions for all their releases.
Now that sf.net has been compromised, what alternative are there?
It's quite ridiculous considering that the sf.net download mirrors are sponsored.
Re:Good (Score:5, Interesting)
Indeed. Good on the GIMP guys. Freaked me out the first time I got that on SF.
Re:Good (Score:5, Interesting)
Maybe Slashdot offer a service where a company pays a fee to guarantee a story makes it to the front page.
Re:Good (Score:4, Interesting)
Advertisers. /. runs a business model in a similar manner to Google. Put up the content for no direct charge, and sell advertising space.
A business model I happen to like*, since I'd rather not pay a subscription fee for a website's bandwidth, hosting, etc.
* So long as the ads remain in their predictable spaces, and are not intrusive. As soon as obnoxious, flashing, "Download HERE!!!", ads start showing up I will start using adblock.
Re:BT (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:good move (Score:5, Interesting)
I can't say i've ever downloaded an "installer" from sourceforge, usually i just download actual source code...
On the other hand i always hated how the download link goes to another page which then performs the download in the background on a timer, i have always hated pages like this and its especially bad for something like sourceforge.
I want a link i can cut+paste into wget, i DO NOT want anything to start downloading in my browser unless i explicitly tell it to. Given the nature of sourceforge, many users of the site will be downloading something not to their local box where their browser is running but to a server of some kind. And i would much rather download a file direct to a gigabit colocated box than first download it to my workstation over DSL and then upload it back to the colo box using the pitiful upstream connection we have here.
Re:BT (Score:2, Interesting)
The worst part about third party installers like sourceforge is that it will ask you "I agree to the terms of agreement to install Ask.com toolbar" and then you uncheck it and it installs anyways. This almost never fails, and it's not fishy English, they install it regardless and blame it on a technical glitch.