Let’s not sugar (or even aspartame) coat it — SourceForge’s reputation is in the toilet after the site’s many attempts to wrap adware installers around popular open-source projects. However, SourceForge has just come under new management and the first change has been to jettison this controversial and unwelcome initiative.
SourceForge’s new president, Logan Abbott, posted about the acquisition a few days ago:
At the end of January, SourceForge and Slashdot were sold to BIZX, LLC by DHI Group, Inc. As the new owners of two iconic sites, we are excited about the future and what we can do together. We’ve already started to take action, and are developing further plans for the site. We encourage your feedback to help us shape the future direction for the site.
The same announcement goes on to mention the site’s dumping of the “DevShare” program, which involved using adware installers:
As of last week, the DevShare program was completely eliminated. The DevShare program delivered installer bundles as part of the download for participating projects. We want to restore our reputation as a trusted home for open source software, and this was a clear first step towards that. We’re more interested in doing the right thing than making extra short-term profit … Eliminating the DevShare program was just the first step of many more to come.
Despite the new owner’s best intentions, the damage is well and truly done — at least with the old guard. I doubt the site will be able to win back the major projects that have already left. Still, it’s better than nothing.
http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2016/02/sourceforges-new-management-gets-rid-of-adware-installers/
