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Re:GitHub: Can no longer search code without being logged in by benjaminwootton on Monday November 27, 2023 @10:30AM (#38433395)
I see lots of reasons being proposed, but my guess is that they want or need to avoid content being scraped by AI related companies and researchers.
Re:GitHub: Can no longer search code without being logged in by executesorder66 on Monday November 27, 2023 @01:04PM (#38435730)
It's not their code to "protect". The license of each project dictates what can and can't be done with it.

And also, what is stopping the scrapers from creating a bunch of accounts to scrape with, and rotating them once they get banned?

Re:GitHub: Can no longer search code without being logged in by prepend on Monday November 27, 2023 @10:34AM (#38433430)
As someone who contributes a decent amount of OSS code on GitHub, I want my code scraped by AI related companies. If GitHub starts making opinionated decisions about how to “protect” my code, then I won’t like that.
Re:GitHub: Can no longer search code without being logged in by Tommstein on Monday November 27, 2023 @04:25PM (#38438558)
> If GitHub starts making opinionated decisions about how to “protect” my code . . .

They already did.

> . . . then I won’t like that.

There is no universe in the multiverse where Microsoft or one of its subsidiaries gives a single flying fuck. Something about those who forget history being doomed to repeat it . . . .

Re:GitHub: Can no longer search code without being logged in by whoopdedo on Monday November 27, 2023 @12:22PM (#38435114)
A scraper won't be using search. Only crawling links. If they required login to browse a repository that would stop bots but also cause a 1000x greater riot.
Re:GitHub: Can no longer search code without being logged in by Mistletoe on Monday November 27, 2023 @10:34AM (#38433432)
I just assume this to be the case for all future decisions like this. Surely the Reddit API changes were at least partly from this? Reddit is one of the richest sources of (pretty) authentic human interaction that humanity has ever made. Every AI company and startup was going to mercilessly mine this forever. I'm sure Reddit would much rather sell (our) interactions instead.
Re:GitHub: Can no longer search code without being logged in by jowea on Monday November 27, 2023 @01:23PM (#38436027)
Does that mean LLMs are going to speak like redditors? Oh the humanity.
Re:GitHub: Can no longer search code without being logged in by Mistletoe on Monday November 27, 2023 @07:13PM (#38440507)