Ask HN:why do people prefer github(paid) over gitorious(free)?

1. I don't need private repos yet, so GitHub is free for me.

2. If I do need private repos, I can afford GitHub.

3. GitHub has better UX and design, and its design sense has been contagious to its users. I think part of the reason people make their code/docs super-presentable on GitHub is to fit in with the look and feel of the site, but that's pure speculation and could be wrong.

4. My main use case is code discovery, not project hosting. GitHub got there first in building a community, so there's more to discover - in addition to it usually being easier to look at as per (3).

A few reasons:

1. People like the sense of security that comes with a paid (and perceived well managed) service. Indeed, GitHub is well managed and the streamlined process makes it easy to use.

2. It has become both the cool and the expected thing for developers to use. It has just about reached de facto status.

3. It is well maintained by a very professional, known staff.

4. While it is not completely free (it has a limited free account), it is not prohibitively expensive. And developers have a few extra dollars to pay for this service that actually helps their careers and their profiles.

5. It has become social to the extent that it is the place for developers to be.

For me it boils down to:

1. Trust. I feel like I can trust Github. While that may not be true, the fact that the majority of the folks I know use github vs gitorious makes me feel trust, whether it's earned/valid or not.

2. Github's cost, for me, is negligible so I don't really bat any eyelashes at it. The $7/mo plan is perfectly fine for me.

3. Their UX is splendid. Every thing feels fairly intuitive me.

4. The social/community aspect I quite enjoy, though I do not participate as much as I should.

I have a github account for my personal code, and we host a gitorious server internally at work for proprietary stuff. Having used both they are interchangeable on the mechanical level (duh) but the user experience for me on github is far better. In addition the extra tools are richer, such as network/commit graphs, issue tracker, wiki, etc. I won't touch upon the social aspects of github since I'm a digital hermit.

1. Excellent UX and branding

2. Services like github pages which allow me to host my blog and sites for my projects (if I had any) without dealing with hosting nonsense (and its free)

3. Everyone else is there

4. The price is entirely irrelevant. $7/month is less than I spend on lunch most days. (Yes, I should make an effort to spend less an lunch.)

I prefer viewing and searching for code on github to any other site I've found, so I got a micro account to support the site (and keep a few repos private until I am ready to make them public).

Plus github hosts my blog for free and without headaches, so that's worth the couple bucks a month on its own.

Github is free for public projects.

Github would be a networking service for developers through the software code. Gitorious seems not to have such community, I guess. A lot of open source projects on github attracts those people.

1. Never heard of gitorious

2. Github is so inexpensive such that cost is irrelevant.

3. Free is rarely a sustainable business model, and we are hesitant to put our source in the hands of an entity that may not be there tomorrow, even though git is distributed.