Using FPC domain for Gitlab

[Okoba]

Hello,

I guess this is already an examined case, but I wanted to make sure, as many services, even open ones like GitLab or Docker, are changing and limiting many free features even for open source projects.
I would like to suggest that instead of using the GitLab domain, it may be better to use the FPC domain. This way, if in the future the team chooses to move to a self hosted GitLab version, the posts, links, and many messages will continue to work.

Please feel free to ignore, if this is not possible or not needed.

[Bi0T1N]

I guess this is already an examined case, but I wanted to make sure, as many services, even open ones like GitLab or Docker, are changing and limiting many free features even for open source projects.

I haven't read anything about GitLab wanting to restrict their program for open source projects. If they do, there are enough other places (smaller and larger ones) so that it would be counterproductive for them because less new employees will be familiar with the UI of GitLab (=less companies deciding for it).
Docker still has its sponsor program for open source so we just need to hope that they accept our application
If not, there is still the GitLab registry and probably some others.

[Okoba]

That was not my point. My point was, using FPC domain for repositories, so later on IF, anything changed, all these posts, don't get deprecated.

[ccrause]

I haven't read anything about GitLab wanting to restrict their program for open source projects. If they do, there are enough other places (smaller and larger ones) so that it would be counterproductive for them because less new employees will be familiar with the UI of GitLab (=less companies deciding for it).

Well, my fork of FPC source is no longer updated automatically by Gitlab, here is the message I received:

Your project is no longer receiving GitLab Ultimate benefits as of 2022-07-01. As notified in-app previously, public open source projects on the Free tier can apply to the GitLab for Open Source Program to receive GitLab Ultimate benefits. Please refer to the FAQ for more details.

More hoops to jump through.  But this is just a personal inconvenience which can be handled by running a git command on my local git clone to sync between upstream and my fork.

[marcov]

If a new gitlab instance is set up, while the hashes might remain the same, things like projectid etc might change, invalidating URLs

[Okoba]

Thank you marcov for clarifying.

[Bi0T1N]

I haven't read anything about GitLab wanting to restrict their program for open source projects. If they do, there are enough other places (smaller and larger ones) so that it would be counterproductive for them because less new employees will be familiar with the UI of GitLab (=less companies deciding for it).

Well, my fork of FPC source is no longer updated automatically by Gitlab, here is the message I received:

Your project is no longer receiving GitLab Ultimate benefits as of 2022-07-01. As notified in-app previously, public open source projects on the Free tier can apply to the GitLab for Open Source Program to receive GitLab Ultimate benefits. Please refer to the FAQ for more details.

More hoops to jump through.  But this is just a personal inconvenience which can be handled by running a git command on my local git clone to sync between upstream and my fork.

No issues on my fork. Mirroring repositories works fine and keeps it up to date automatically.

[Fred vS]

You may also do mirror to CodeBerg:

After a push to my GitHub account:

Code: Bash  [Select][+][-]

1. git push --all

A automatic mirroring is done by GitLab (mirroring feature) and for CodeBerg, I do this:

Code: Bash  [Select][+][-]

1. git push --mirror https://codeberg.org/fredvs/uos

So the code is synchro in GitHub, GitLab and CodeBerg ( in case of revolution, maybe one will resist  ).

[Martin_fr]

Well we also have a mirror here: https://sourceforge.net/p/lazarus/laz.git/

[ccrause]

No issues on my fork. Mirroring repositories works fine and keeps it up to date automatically.

The mirroring on my Lazarus fork is updating automatically, even though my FPC fork is not.  When I want to set up a new repository mirror in Gitlab, the Mirror direction option is disabled with a default of push.  So it seems impossible to create a new mirror option that pulls, at least on the free tier (or whatever the default tier is called) now.  I think mirroring configured before the new rule was implemented still works.

[ccrause]

Well we also have a mirror here: https://sourceforge.net/p/lazarus/laz.git/

It is easy to create a merge request from a Gitlab mirror to the upstream Gitlab repository. I'm trying to use some of Gitlab's features to automate the mirroring, which now seems to be reserved for a higher tier.

[Joanna from IRC]

Hello,

I guess this is already an examined case, but I wanted to make sure, as many services, even open ones like GitLab or Docker, are changing and limiting many free features even for open source projects.
I would like to suggest that instead of using the GitLab domain, it may be better to use the FPC domain. This way, if in the future the team chooses to move to a self hosted GitLab version, the posts, links, and many messages will continue to work.

I agree with this sentiment...
What would be involved on the technical side to not rely on third party websites to host repositories ?
Is it a matter of not having access to something similar to what sourceforge or Gitlab has on their websites?

[marcov]

Gitlab is not just repo usage with git, but  also issue tracker and used to browse the repo. (say what viewvc was in the old system)

[Joanna from IRC]

What would be involved with moving everything from gitlab to a fpc controlled domain? Is it possible?

[marcov]

What would be involved with moving everything from gitlab to a fpc controlled domain? Is it possible?

Yes, it probably is. But it is a *load of work(both migration and maintenance), and the main objective of using gitlab was to reduce maintenance.

So not going to happen until there are really, *really* strong reasons for it.