Show HN: Claim rare and inactive GitHub usernames | Hacker News Reader

Show HN: Claim rare and inactive GitHub usernames

github.com

30 pointsh812 comments

I have a name on Twitter that someone has and tries to claim it. The name on Twitter is my first name, and the person already got the .com domain without my intend to loose it. I am having mixed feelings about this.

Not showing activity doesn't mean you might want to use it in the future.

I mean, the list is of names that have showed no sign of activity since 2010. The rule is there more to stop people just claiming good names, without ever using them.

I don't see any reason to force me to 'show activity' once a year to avoid the potential of my account to get claimed.

It's a bit like being late to a party and miss out on the food or drinks, tough luck

You make a valid point however, since GitHub's name squatting policy allows for the claiming of inactive GitHub usernames, my intention was to simply show people who aren't currently satisfied with their username as to what might be out there up for grabs.

I do not speak for other social media sites as most of them have clear terms for disallowing this sort of action.

If the user wants to use it in the future, then I'm sure a simple login once in a while is enough to deem them as "active".

However, if they haven't shown any sign of life for 10+ years I believe it's time to move to someone who will be an active member of the GitHub community.

Ahh so they're old accounts that you can dispute and claim from github due to no activity. I thought they were available names... interesting list!

I have given it a shot, trying to claim "game" as an account name, (as it has been inactive since 2010). I thought it would be perfect for hosting my board/card game projects on!

Sounds kind of sleazy.

Neat project. I requested github.com/magikarp successfully. Glub glub.

good stuff!

After attempting to get the username “snazz” on GitHub, I learned that people definitely can be active even when their public profile shows no signs of life. It’s very nice that GitHub offers this ability, however.

Yes it is nice that they offer this feature as most websites don't. Simply logging into GitHub is most likely enough to make these ghost accounts deemed as "active", which is up for debate whether or not this should be the case.

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