Let’s be honest, the majority here probably has a github account. Some of us are happy as a clam and wouldn’t switch no matter what happened, but there are some who would and haven’t yet. Why?
Let’s be honest, the majority here probably has a github account. Some of us are happy as a clam and wouldn’t switch no matter what happened, but there are some who would and haven’t yet. Why?
Most developers learn and grow by doing - which means learning by making mistakes, googling their error messages, and looking at examples of other people doing what they’re trying to do - which is why you should always open source your code unless there’s a specific reason not to.
I hope you don’t actually believe this. The entire Internet, and computing itself, is built on the foundation of open source. This is like saying “why do I gotta pay taxes” when you and everyone you’ve never met has relied on roads etc. And that’s just the basic example - the real importance of, say, public education, is that, while you personally may not have used it, many many many other people have - and their education has pushed the quality of your collegues higher - which pushes you to be better, either as competition or cooperation. This is the actually accurate meaning of “the rising tide raises all ships.”
Even if you’ve never used Linux, or any open source software at all, the rest of us have, and we’re pushing your job and your career to new heights.
I think you misunderstood me. We all use open source software or develop using open source libraries, and in the context of the question, I don’t care where they host their code, as long as I can find it. But that isn’t what I was talking about. I have never felt like my career depended on me publicly hosting my own code. I have found jobs and connected with people through other means, and they haven’t even asked to see my github profile in any interviews I’ve been in.
Sure, I have a Python script running on a Raspberry Pi controlling my garage door opener. You want it, I’ll show it to you. I believe in open source software, but I’m not going out of my way to publicly host (and document, yuck!) every little thing I’ve made for myself, especially when they have often been tailor made for my home environment, or hacked together in 15 minutes and riddled with secrets.
But my main reason is simply privacy. I don’t want to broadcast to the Internet what project I am working on right now, or reveal the architecture of my home network or smart home setup. There’s a lot you reveal about yourself when you show the world what you are doing, and I would prefer not to do that.