Just feels like an unnecessary step. Sure I have an account and can log in, but why? I just want to know which file has X function, so i can read the implementation. I don’t want to have to download the repo or sign in.
If necessary, let's focus on the use case of searching a single repo.
they have to serve the source without being logged in, otherwise gpl projects would just move (and we know gpl projects are the opensource trend setters).
so they will always allow you yo download the source. and thats what i do all the time. git clone, grep, rm.
or if you are logged, do it anyway checking code out with ssh which is more expensive for them.
remember kids, after Microsoft bought it, a github account is a social network account.
There are a lot more AI projects hungry for data to train their models on. This puts content companies in an uncomfortable situation: trademark infringement claims, loss of intellectual property, and more.
LinkedIn isn't a content company either, nor do they really own any content posted there (they don't right?), but a large part of their business moat comes from the network of people posting content there. Scrapers and bots undermine this, something the AI boom facilitates.
I've also wanted to do code search on my phone, where I have no need to be logged in so I'm not.
In practice my employer would be happy for me to spend my time doing it anyway, because it's the right thing to do. But asking them to pay Github for the privilege is pushing it.
Telling employees to make their own personal account to do company work seems like a bad idea.
The use of a password manager makes re-logging-in effortless.