UMC-Dev vs Github?

[Groggy_Dice]

From time to time, I've seen authors announce that they were putting their projects up on Github, making me wonder why they weren't using UMC-Dev, the semi-official platform. I know many in the open-source world prefer git's distributed development model over SVN's centralized "commit cabal" model. However, in actual practice, it doesn't seem like most projects in either venue involve collaborative development, and many authors just seem to be looking for versioning/backup.

I took a look at Github's Wesnoth-related repositories, and I was surprised to see the translation project, apparently fleeing Berlios' demise, setting up there, even though it includes some of the key UMC-Dev people. Other repositories were also set up by people also involved in UMC-Dev.

This topic got some attention in mattsc's AI thread, but I'd like to delve into this in more detail. Just why are some people choosing one over the other, or doing both?

[Anonymissimus]

Just personal preference I suppose.

My local mysysgit on windows install seems to communicate with a remote git repository much faster than it does for a remote svn one.

[Groggy_Dice]

Hmm, it seems the advocates of UMC-Dev were more vocal in mattsc's thread. Right now, I'm leaning towards Github. My main reasons: it seems easier to sign up for Github than to sign up for Sourceforge and then have to sign up for UMC-Dev (one less hoop to jump through), and a general perception that git is the "wave of the future."

UMC-Dev has its advantages also, but here's why I'm discounting them:

• The main advantage of UMC-Dev is the prospect of collaborative development. I would become part of a pool, all authorized to work on all the projects there. As a practical matter, though, most projects don't seem to become the object of collaboration, and I don't see why mine would be different. There even seems to be a code of etiquette against developers elbowing their way into other people's activities.
• Another plus is automatic running of tools like optipng, but that doesn't seem like a biggie.
• As an ordinary computer user, Sourceforge is more attractive for finding stuff. There are software categories to browse. I also like having all projects together at UMC-Dev. At Github, I have to hope the developer used the right keywords in his description, and slog through search results. However, while that might make it harder for others to find my project, I wouldn't have trouble finding my own projects.
• As far as signing up for both, I figure that I should get the hang of either git or svn before tackling both. Wesnoth is developed on svn, so for core developers, joining UMC-Dev doesn't involve learning a new program. However, with no prospect of an imminent invite to the commit clubhouse, or anything else that would force me to learn svn anyway, I am free to pick.

Although neither is likely to be a generally useful skill without taking up programming, git's momentum sways me. I understand that svn remains strong in companies, which find centralized control desirable. But even there, I've heard that git is making inroads.

However, if anyone has some additional points in favor of UMC-Dev/Sourceforge/svn (or against Github/git), I'm willing to hear them before I go ahead.

[Groggy_Dice]

Just to give a little update, I did open up a github account. You can reach it by clicking on the globe in the profile to the left. Right now I've set up a repository for all the various resources that I've been posting piecemeal to the forums: the list of Unported UMC, the UMC Timeline, the porting guides, wmllint++, and so forth. As time goes on, I aim to create repositories for my ports of campaigns as well.

[Iris]

Since the OP bumped this topic, I’ll answer the question nobody asked yet:

Wesnoth-UMC-Dev is obsolete now that Git is a more accessible and ubiquitous VCS. The only reason I haven’t moved my campaigns to public Git repositories yet (although I have used git-svn to work with them locally since around late 2008) is that converting from SVN correctly and permanently is a poorly documented chore I cannot afford at this time.

[jieverson]

So, there aren't a Git to make a fork?

[Anonymissimus]

So, there aren't a Git to make a fork?

No.
This is a repository for addons and is basically independent and separated from the wesnoth source code.