Topic: Git

Sir Paul Couture is working to fix and upgrade the No Agenda Art Generator, a resource containing over 15,000 submissions. The upgrades include moving the library to a CDN for better performance and creating weekly backups with scrubbed user info. The repository will be made public on Git to allow other developers to contribute to the codebase.

The hosts discuss the technical challenges of maintaining the noagendasocial.com server, specifically regarding software updates and database management. They note that users frequently request fixes for broken features like GIF uploads and often lock themselves out using two-factor authentication. Mention is made of the Mastodon open-source project recently adding a trademark to its name, which the hosts interpret as a sign of impending venture capital involvement.

Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified that the Healthcare.gov website cost approximately $118 million. IT insiders report that the contractors, including CGI Federal, failed to use basic version control systems like Git or Subversion. The project is described as "amateur hour," with testing consisting of simple command-line tools rather than robust quality assurance.

There is a growing trend toward treating software development as a "tedious assembly line" similar to factory work or knitting. The widespread adoption of Git and GitHub allows for large-scale project management without developers "stepping on each other," potentially reducing the need for H1B visa workers from India. Critics argue these initiatives are designed to create a surplus of "code monkeys" for investors to exploit.