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Google Tests Code Repository Service

Posted by Soulskill on from the a-challenger-appears dept.

An anonymous reader writes: VentureBeat notes that Google has begun testing an unannounced service to host and edit source code repositories as part of its cloud platform. It's called Cloud Source Repositories, and it's currently being beta-tested. "Google is taking a gradual approach with the new service: It can serve as a 'remote' for Git repositories sitting elsewhere on the Internet or locally. Still, over time the new tool could help Google become more of an all-in-one destination for building and deploying applications."

44 comments

  1. But Google Code? by Hydrated+Wombat · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It closed and now they are reinventing it? http://www.theverge.com/2015/3...

    1. Re:But Google Code? by OverlordQ · · Score: 1

      No, Google Code was project hosting, this is (effectively) just repo hosting.

      --
      Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
    2. Re:But Google Code? by nmb3000 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      No, Google Code was project hosting, this is (effectively) just repo hosting.

      The difference between project hosting and a "service to host and edit source code repositories" is a few wiki pages for a description and documentation. They closed down Google Code claiming competition and saturation from sites like GitHub and BitBucket, but now they're starting a new service that still directly competes with those?

      I can only assume the primary problem with Google Code which caused its closure was the lack of "cloud" in the name.

      --
      "What do you despise? By this are you truly known." --Princess Irulan, Manual of Muad'Dib
      /)
    3. Re:But Google Code? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Care to explain the practical difference of your terminological distinction?

    4. Re:But Google Code? by MurukeshM · · Score: 1

      The problem, IIRC, was containing spam. Since Github and others now offered full-functional alternatives, the fight against spam wasn't worth it.

    5. Re:But Google Code? by unrtst · · Score: 1

      Most of the comments here are in this vein, and that was my first thought as well, and I doubt I'll trust them to host jack for me.

      That said, they're a big company; they try stuff out and see if it works; when something doesn't "work", they get rid of it... how do they go about revisiting a topic with a different (and possibly much better) approach without drawing these kinda of reactions? All I really mean is, I don't want them to stop trying... if they do get it "right", that'll could be great.

      To answer my own question though... they could start by not shuttering perfectly functional projects unless really necessary; build a replacement (with an easy way to move to it) before shutting it down; and/or spin off those things more cleanly to someone else, or open source them.

    6. Re:But Google Code? by Hognoxious · · Score: 2

      when something doesn't "work", they get rid of it...

      Whereas if it does work they just fuck-up the UI. And then get rid of it.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    7. Re:But Google Code? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I can only assume the primary problem with Google Code which caused its closure was the lack of "cloud" in the name.

      they can call it whatever the hell they want to. their track record sucks and any project or developer that uses it is going to need that backup repository at github anyway .. because this supposedly 'new' thing that isn't really a new thing for google WILL NOT LAST.

    8. Re:But Google Code? by GigaplexNZ · · Score: 1

      The difference between project hosting and a "service to host and edit source code repositories" is a few wiki pages for a description and documentation.

      You're forgetting about an issue tracker.

    9. Re:But Google Code? by Isca · · Score: 1

      I wish I had mod points this morning. This is the real reason why you shouldn't think of google for this.

    10. Re:But Google Code? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      when something doesn't "work", they get rid of it...

      Whereas if it does work they just fuck-up the UI. And then get rid of it.

      The UX designer is the way large companies (Google and Yahoo) kill unwanted products.

      1) Management decides to kill a product.
      2) Hire UX designer to fuck up the design. (flickr, Yahoo mail three times over, Yahoo finance message boards, google video, etc)
      3) Declare that nobody uses the product anymore.
      4) Have metrics to back previously-made decision to kill the product.

      Where this all went wrong was when smaller companies started hiring UX designers to emulate the practices of the larger companies (digg, GNOME, Firefox, Slashdot Beta etc), and enough of those companies were successful for just long enough that the really big companies (Microsoft's Win8) decided to follow along with the trend.

      As a profession, UX has done more to ruin the market share of established brands than any single career track in IT. If you value your business, fire your UX team.

    11. Re:But Google Code? by ncc74656 · · Score: 1

      any project or developer that uses it is going to need that backup repository at github anyway

      You should have backups of all your projects to media that you control in any case. Google has a track record of winding down stuff it doesn't want to continue (Reader, anyone?), but if you're betting on any source-code repo to (1) not go tits-up (as Google Code might) and (2) not jump the shark (as SourceForge has), you're putting your code at risk. Git, in particular, makes it dead simple to clone a repo and all its history in a relatively compact form, so spare a few GB on a server you control for a mirror of everything you put on GitHub (or whatever).

      --
      20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
  2. B=D by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    B====D

    1. Re:B=D by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Can you please clarify your math?

      First of all, you've stated that B is equal to D, yet you have not defined what B and D are.

      Second of all, why are you using the "====" social justice equality operator? Why are you saying that B is more equal than D?

      Should B be receiving special privileges that D could never get, like getting guaranteed admission to top universities and getting jobs that it is totally unqualified for?

    2. Re:B=D by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Only at Slashdot could the moderating be so bad that a comment that's nothing but an ASCII penis goes unmodded, while a comment that's actually on-topic and relevant gets modded down to -1!

  3. So like Google Code? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    So something like Google Code, which they are shutting down?

    Can anyone else say "vaporware"?

    1. Re:So like Google Code? by CatGrep · · Score: 4, Funny

      Google Code is dead. Long live Google Code!

  4. Yeah, sure, Google. by Lunix+Nutcase · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why would anyone use this considering Google Code was announced to be shut down? Are we supposed to believe that this service isn't just going to be shut down on a whim as well?

    1. Re:Yeah, sure, Google. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Because it's in Beta. You should be worried when it's no longer in Beta!

    2. Re:Yeah, sure, Google. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why would anyone use this considering Google Code was announced to be shut down? Are we supposed to believe that this service isn't just going to be shut down on a whim as well?

      You should not use it. It is not available. It has not even been announced as a beta at this point in time..

    3. Re:Yeah, sure, Google. by guestapoo · · Score: 2

      That is! Like most recent comments here, that is the first thing flashes in my head when I see "Google tests ... Service".

      Google already made users less interested in their "new" services/features. Is that the main reason for failure of G+!?

      PS:
      Once-useful feature, 'preview PDF' on the search results was removed, despite of requests from users.
      It's interesting that I was accidentally discovered, by using 'preview PDF', I could download some (if not many) pdf files from crcnetbase.com. I still wonder how could Google access these files, if CRC does not allow this.

    4. Re:Yeah, sure, Google. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      https://cloud.google.com/tools/cloud-repositories/

      Cloud Source Repositories Beta

    5. Re:Yeah, sure, Google. by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      I still wonder how could Google access these files, if CRC does not allow this.

      The same way other companies like "expert sex change" (.com, if you must) used to show up in the rankings, but if you go there, you see paywall after paywall.

      Basically the sites look for the Googlebot user-agent and adjust their results slightly - by exposing the entire content of the page. So all of it is nicely indexed by Google, and when you search, they show up. But the answer (which Google got to see) is hidden away through logins because you're not Google.

      You used to be able to see it through the cache links, and I think Google is actually cracking down on people who try to SEO by targeting the bot (you don't see expert sex change on the list anymore).

      But sites like CRC did the same - if you were Google, you got more access. You might want to try browsing the web as Googlebot...

    6. Re:Yeah, sure, Google. by guestapoo · · Score: 1

      Yes, I tried (at this time), too, but not successful.
      But, I think you are right.
      There was something about Googlebot in the script or html (I don't remember, it seems to be not there in current CRC page), when I followed the link (likely, if you are bot then your url), they banned my IP. (there is no "wonderland" with a lot of "eat me" things lol)
      And, after Google abandoned 'Preview PDF', there is not any result from inside crcnetbase PDFs in search result, eventually in cache.

      Anyway, there are not much good books in crcnetbase, or much of them were available somewhere for "free". Yes, I regret I could not "legally" download books there, but not much.

  5. Google code? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Didn't they already have this and killed it?

  6. code.google.com by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    still haven't migrated my stuff from code.google.com to git. maybe google will swoop in and save me some work? *crosses fingers*

  7. Timeline of closure? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Does anybody have a timeline when this Google service will be shut down? Meh, I'll just keep using my own reliable repository. No telling if Google will actually keep services they offer.

  8. Skynet gets ever closer by dmaul99 · · Score: 1

    Annnnnd now Skynet will be able to learn how to interact with unfamiliar software. Better hope the department of defense contractors don't host their code there.

  9. So, like google code, only worse? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So now, they can know what I'm searching for, who I'm emailing, and which Russian Gang I'm writing code for?

    No thanks, I'll keep my code safely in the darknet thank you very much.

  10. What next? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    So after Picassa and now Code, are they going to resurrect Wave, Buzz and Reader next?

  11. out with the old, in with the new... by bbands · · Score: 1

    Didn't they just shutter google code?

    1. Re:out with the old, in with the new... by CatGrep · · Score: 1

      Google Code? What is this Google Code you speak of? Never existed.

    2. Re:out with the old, in with the new... by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 1

      We've always been at war with Eurasia!

      --
      Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
  12. Soooo... by EmeraldBot · · Score: 4, Interesting

    They shutter Google Code, forcing anyone who had a project there to migrate everything, and now they plan to start it back up? Do they seriously think anyone is going to trust them again? I believe they shut down the old one because they felt Github dominated the field; Well, now they're entering the same field, but this time without the small (but loyal) userbase they had lastime.

    I just can't get why they did this stunt - if they really wanted to enter the coding field, they could have just revamped Google Code. It'd still be a difficult task to displace Github, but now they just made it even more difficult for themselves for no reason at all.

    --
    "Set a man a fire, he'll be warm for the rest of the night. Set a man afire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
    1. Re:Soooo... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do they seriously think anyone is going to trust them again?

      They do... and betcha people will! Because people are dumb like that.

    2. Re:Soooo... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Exactly this.

      They tried chromeos and then shuttered it. 1 year later they released it again under the same name as if it had not happened the first time. I'm really starting to think that Google=Rinse and repeat.

      On the other hand maybe they wanted to make sure they collect even more information on "guests" this time around. Another possibility is that the terms will state that they end up owning the rights to the code in some obscure legalese.

    3. Re:Soooo... by swillden · · Score: 5, Informative

      Like most of the up-voted posters here, I think you're missing the point. This new service isn't a Google Code replacement or a Github competitor. It's an add-on for cloud-based hosting, so people who are hosting systems on Google App Engine or Compute Engine can keep their source there as well, with nice tools for working with the code online, managing releases and even live debugging... if there's a problem with your running app you can debug it instantly. The system snapshots the live system so it's not interrupted and then gives you an online debugger so you can examine the state, step through the code, etc.

      It's a value-added feature on a paid cloud hosting service, not a place to host your latest open source project. That's what Github is for.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
    4. Re:Soooo... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a value-added feature on a paid cloud hosting service, not a place to host your latest open source project. That's what Github is for and google code used to do.

      "Value-added"... Jesus Christ!

    5. Re:Soooo... by null+etc. · · Score: 1

      Google hyper-vacillates between releasing shit that nobody wants, and abandoning products that people do want.

      With 24,000 employees, you think they would stumble their way onto a clue.

  13. Trust google code again? No. by sproketboy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    A while back I wanted to add a patch to an open source project that had been hosted on sourceforge and the dev had moved it to google code. After 6 months of him not replying to my request to patch his library (and showing no activity at all) I contacted both sourcforge and google code about taking over the project.

    Sourceforge put me on a 3 month waiting list while they attempted to contact the original dev. Google simply gave me admin rights to his project THE NEXT DAY. Needless to say the dev contacted me soon after. If I had been an asshole I could have locked him out completely and PWNED his project. I was nice and let him have admin rights again.

    That's why I like Sourceforge. Hosting code is their business so they take it seriously. Google? They're just an advertising company.

    1. Re:Trust google code again? No. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "That's why I like Sourceforge. Hosting code is their business so they take it seriously."

      You've been away for the last few months, haven't you?

    2. Re:Trust google code again? No. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      years*

  14. Thieves by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They'll mine the projects for code to use in their own services with no attribution or compensation to the original authors.