SourceForge and GIMP [Updated]

New submitter tresf writes: In response to a Google+ post from the Gimp project claiming that "[Sourceforge] is now distributing an ads-enabled installer of GIMP," Sourceforge had this response: "In cases where a project is no longer actively being maintained, SourceForge has in some cases established a mirror of releases that are hosted elsewhere. This was done for GIMP-Win.

Submitter's note: Gimp is actively being maintained and the definition of "mirror" is quite misleading here as a modified binary is no longer a verbatim copy. Download statistics for Gimp on Windows show SourceForge as offering over 1,000 downloads per day of the Gimp software.

In an official response to this incident, the official Gimp project team reminds users to use official download methods. Slashdotters may remember the last time news like this surfaced (2013) when the Gimp team decided to move downloads from SourceForge to their own FTP service. "Therefore, we remind you again that GIMP only provides builds for Windows via its official Downloads page." Note: SourceForge and Slashdot share a corporate parent. Editor's note: I just got back from a busy weekend to see that a bunch of people are freaking out that we're "burying" this story, so here it is. Go hog wild. Sorry it took so long. (And for future reference, user submissions are easily found in the firehose, listed in the order they appear, newest first.)

Update: 06/01 22:37 GMT by T : The SourceForge blog has a welcome update; SourceForge, it says, has effective today "stopped presenting third party offers for unmaintained SourceForge projects. ... At this time, we present third party offers only with a few projects where it is explicitly approved by the project developer, or if the project is already bundling third party offers."

Comments

Not ignoring the story is a good start!

[rmdingler]

Issuing an opinion on something the umbrella corporation did that you may have no control over would be a solid follow up.

Re:Not ignoring the story is a good start!

[Luxemburg]

Additionally, offering such a weak*) excuse for sitting on this story (apparently) for a week actually rings all my alarm bells. Please slashdot editors, explicitly deny (or confirm) there has been any kind of pressure influencing your treatment of this topic.

*) Weak to react to it cynically, dismissively, the editor just had a busy weekend, and how dare the readers ever even imagine there might be some sort of hesitation on your part for not publishing this article promptly. After all, it's only a very grave accusation to a service run by the same company for the same audience.

Seems to Be a Pattern of Behavior

[Kunedog]

Anyone buying the "busy weekend" excuse? Can't say I am, since the story broke near the middle of last week, and we've seen /. willfully ignore the community so many times. Look at the amount of pushback it took to defeat Beta and Bennet Hasselton.

Wonder if they'll ever drop the anti-Gamergate narrative too (probably not, since they have most of the tech media circling wagons with them on the pro-corruption side)?

Re:Seems to Be a Pattern of Behavior

[Culture20]

Keep in mind, FileZilla agreed to the malware installer, unlike GIMP.

Re:Seems to Be a Pattern of Behavior

[SScorpio]

Have you heard of http://ninite.com/?

You can install Filezilla directly from them without the bundled malware and other shenanigans.

Their installer does take away choice so software will install to the default location. But it skips desktop shortcuts, bundled toolbars, and other crap I don't want.

They work especially well when you are setting up a new PC, you simply select what you want to install and it will automatically install the latest versions of everything without you needing to track down individual installers or prompting you during installation.

Re:For future reference

[Soulskill]

When we select submissions, voting is the strongest factor, but it's not the only factor — timeliness, factual accuracy, the degree to which it's on topic, and several other characteristics all factor in. For example, we're not going to run a 5-year-old story no matter how many people vote it up, nor a story about the sun being made of freshly chopped artichoke hearts.

Re:So?

[houstonbofh]

If they are modifying the binary, would that not make it a derivative work? And so by the license, would that not make it a violation to call it "Gimp?" I know that would be the case on my FOSS project.

Re:Douch move for sure on SF

[ThePhilips]

Do you even have an experience with such malware ridden installers?

The creators abuse every possible linguistic trick on the book to confuse the user about what s/he had selected and what is going to be installed. Sometimes even blatantly lying and claiming that something will not work properly if you choose not to install the optional "performance enhancer".

I had to deal once with such installer for a freebie game, which was bundled with 5(?) pieces of malware. Luckily for me it was an InstallShield which was showing a summary screen of what is going to be installed before doing anything. I had to go through the install wizard three times before the summary screen was showing that only the game itself would be installed. The last one was the trickiest: in description they used effectively triple negative and user had to actually check the box to not to install the malware.

Re:For future reference

[serviscope_minor]

First, thanks for coming on the thread to answer questions.

Out of interest, what is the criteria for the editorial staff putting together a post. Most of the front page stories are more or less exactly as the submitter submitted them. Under what circumstances do you generally exercise this kind of editorial control?

Re:So?

[Megane]

GPL covers the rights to use and distribute code. I was not aware that it also included the right to use of trademarks. (Assuming GIMP was even properly trademarked.) See also "Iceweasel".

People Still Use Sourceforge?

[Greyfox]

I've classified Sourceforge as a malicious site for a long time now. Is there some reason other than their early history with the open source movement that they're still around? It seems like they've been trading on and abusing that good will for a VERY long time.

SubjectsSuck

[aardvarkjoe]

The original announcement for when Sourceforge added the "feature" of injecting malware into installers said that the money earned would be shared with the developers. So I have to wonder: did they send the GIMP a check? Have the GIMP developers demanded that Sourceforge do so?

On the assumption that Sourceforge did not, it seems like they've just burned a bridge that they shouldn't have. They killed any trust that users would have had for SF projects a long time ago, but developers who were willing to sell out have stuck around. But now that developers know that SF is willing to just assume control of a project (and the associated profits), why would any developer continue to use SF.