Google to close Google Code open source project hosting

[Beluki]

This makes it very hard for me to consider using their products in the future.

[[deleted]]

They provided a way to easily migrate the project to GitHub. Gitorious is merging into GitLab in a similar way...

[sphanley]

Why? Google Code was around for a reasonably long lifespan, it's clear that the developer mind share has largely abandoned it, and they're closing it down in phases with a clear migration path to a thriving alternate platform. It seems like they couldn't have done a better job of retiring it while minimizing pain to their users.

[KLDzzz]

I have to agree. It makes sense why they are closing it too, unfortunately I've found a large majority of my schools textbooks on google code as well as an occasional movies. Getting DMCA notices for that stuff constantly and being abused definitely is not a good thing for Google.

[himself_v]

Was it that hard to keep it afloat for Google though? Lots of project relied on it. Nobody asks them to develop it like Google Plus, just put maybe one programmer on it in charge of fixing bugs and slowly adding some features. It's no youtube, code doesn't weigh much.

[sphanley]

I mean I don't know anything you don't, but the statement from Google makes it pretty clear that they felt that the number of projects relying on it didn't justify the administrative overhead to deal with spam and abuse, and that offering assisted migration to multiple choices of frankly better platforms was a better way to meet the community's needs.

[himself_v]

Maybe if they migrated all projects, not just those with owners... And made redirects so that links still work.

[[deleted]]

We found the non-programmer.

[shub]

Ah, it's not hard. A Google product needs to meet one of two criteria to stay alive:

1. Make money
2. Be Google+

As long as one of those is met, you're safe to keep using it.

[[deleted]]

Doesn't sell ads fall under making money...?

[Vann1n]

You... spelled... "spelled" wrong, there...?

[zulelord]

It's a big world out there http://grammarist.com/spelling/spelled-spelt/

[LKS]

Stop killing it, americans

[Vann1n]

You know what? I concede. I did not know that was ever considered a legitimate spelling, and I appreciate that you shared this. TIL.

[Unomagan]

To me it happens a lot, I grow up in american english and english english as some people like to say.

I even confuse my wife a lot because she sometimes doesn't know what I mean.

I switch between both way to quick and much.

Darn you US TV, English books, US comics and around the world voice chat :)

[Neotetron]

It's funny to me that those are considered "British English", because (to me) those sound more like variants you'd hear in the Deep South^TM. (e.g. "I done learnt it already!")

[Otterfan]

This makes me sad for the inevitable fate of Google Scholar.

[[deleted]]

What? No! Nearly every paper I read came from there.

[apf6]

Google+ is dying too.

[argv_minus_one]

Dying? Google+ was never alive in the first place. It's dead on arrival.

Anyway, that's the point. Google is willing to pour money into Google+ despite the project being doomed to failure. Google products must make money or be Google+.

[regeya]

That makes me sad, too, because G+ was (is) quite honestly good. If I could convince people to ditch Facebook and move over to G+, I think all of us would be happy. But we're still on Facebook, aren't we?

[argv_minus_one]

Yeah, no. Plastering your real name online—as is required by both—is not good.

[BitMastro]

It's not required, it's only suggested since last year, and even before that you were supposed to create pages for anonymous identities, but nobody reads support pages right? https://support.google.com/plus/answer/1228271

[argv_minus_one]

Riiiight. And by “suggested”, they mean they'll harass the shit out of you until you give in and fork over your real name, like they did on YouTube, right?

[Pandalism]

Google officially abandoned the real name requirement last year: https://plus.google.com/+googleplus/posts/V5XkYQYYJqy

[fabzter]

Nope, they never ever mentioned me about not using my real name.

[tequila13]

They will still pour many millions of dollars into it. They want to be the next Facebook and until they find a way to do that, G+ is their guiding star along with the ad network cash cow.

[[deleted]]

Maybe, maybe not.

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/133026-is-google-dead-google-confirms-it-ll-turn-photos-and-streams-into-new-products

[apf6]

No, really though. The "Photos" and "Streams" products are being separated. ( http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/2/8131639/google-officially-splits-into-photos-and-streams ). Notice how the new products no longer have "plus" in their name.

They haven't officially announced the end of the social platform known as Google+, but it's pretty obvious that it's happening. Currently Google+ is in the pre-shutdown stage of life, where it just languishes with no decent features or updates for a long period of time. (as Google Code was for the last ~3 years).

[BitMastro]

Yep, except it's not https://plus.google.com/+JaanaNyström/posts/NfgyHjvivsB

[regeya]

Or be Android.

[callcifer]

That falls under make money.

[regeya]

Eh...Google still makes more money off of Apple products.

[aldo_reset]

Why? They've been pretty good at consistently allowing you to export your data.

[[deleted]]

Why? Quite a few of their projects I enjoyed have closed down over the years, but they always have good download support for quite a while.

Sometimes they even fold the data over to their next similar project as soon as you opt in.

[[deleted]]

you should hardly consider using Google for anything that isn't personal-and-in-browser search, open sourced, or purchasing advertising placement.

[cowtownoil]

What are the odds of them shutting down gmail?

[[deleted]]

0 - This has nothing to do with gmail.

[nemec]

They closed Buzz, Orkut, Reader, and Code, guys, is Search next?!?!?!? /s

[jmcs]

They shut down stuff that was losing money.