Google Launches Project Hosting - Notes on the System
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I have to tell you up front: I'm not a programmer. So I really can't tell you too much about the usefulness of the various features of the service. Fortunately, other people who are programmers have already written about it.
The issue tracking feature has been cited as being particularly useful, but some complain that it still falls short of what's already available with alternative software development project management systems. While Google wins plaudits for the clean interface, it may have gone too far in that direction with this service. Personally, I rather like the way Google sets up project pages, with tabs labeled Home, Issues, Source, and Administer. It gives the site a very straightforward appearance.
Those familiar with the Subversion software version control system may recognize this service as a rebuild of that system (indeed, the web page for projects hosted by Project Hosting mentions the Subversion repository as the place where source code for projects can be viewed). While open source projects can store code with this free service, Stein noted that it cannot handle downloads as of yet, no doubt rather frustrating to many programmers.
There have been other problems reported with the system. As you would expect, there is a Google group dedicated to Project Hosting, where you can check out the threads yourself. One particular problem seems to have arisen from something that was done with good intentions. Google worked with SourceForge, the leading open source software repository, to reserve all SourceForge project names. The intention was to prevent name squatting on Google's new service. However, SourceForge project administrators who have tried to move their SF projects over to Google's service have run into difficulties. Apparently the system isn't letting them grant themselves approval to use the name! This problem might be fixed by the time you read this.
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