Google Code Halts Open Source Downloads

July 17, 2013

Citing a spike in abuse, Google Code has disabled downloads of open source code from its repository, we learn from “Is Google Code in Trouble? No More Open Source Downloads for You” at Internet News. The site began in 2006 as a place for collaborative development and a host for open source code. Writer Sean Michael Kerner sees this announcement as the “last laugh” for rival SourceForge. He writes:

“Google is now recommending that developers use Google Drive to host files instead. Yeah good luck with that Google, remember Sourceforge?

“Sourceforge is now offering Google Code devs the ability to host download code on Sourceforge.

“Personally, I think developers want to have code development and hosting download in the same spot — it’s just easier. Though of course, open source software has a long history of mirror download sites and such, so perhaps this isn’t a big deal after all?”

Perhaps. Launched in 1999, SourceForge helps over 3.4 million open source developers with its free tools and code storage, and serves over 4 million downloads daily. Last year, the site released Allura, its underlying software, under Apache, where it is now in incubation.

Cynthia Murrell, July 17, 2013

Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under Google, News, Open source

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.