"SourceForge" redirects here. For other uses, see SourceForge (disambiguation).
 This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2007)
SourceForge.net
URL http://sourceforge.net/
Commercial? Yes
Type of site collaborative revision control and software development management system
Registration optional
Owner SourceForge, Inc. (Formerly VA Software)
Created by VA Software
Launched November 1999
Alexa rank < 130 (August 2008)[1]
Current status Active

SourceForge.net is a source code repository. It acts as a centralized location for software developers to control and manage open source software development. SourceForge.net is operated by Sourceforge, Inc. (formerly VA Software) and runs a version of the SourceForge software, forked from the last open-source version available. As of August 2008, SourceForge.net hosts more than 180,000 projects and more than 1.9 million registered users,[2] although it does contain many dormant or single-user projects.

SourceForge.net has offered free access to hosting and tools for developers of free software / open source software for several years, and has become well-known within such development communities for these services.

SourceForge.net competes with other providers such as RubyForge, Tigris.org, BountySource, BerliOS, JavaForge and GNU Savannah.

The domain sourceforge.net attracted at least 28 million visitors annually by 2008 according to a Compete.com survey.[3]

SourceForge Enterprise Edition was acquired by CollabNet from VA Software on April 24, 2007.[4]

Contents

[edit] Offerings

SourceForge.net allows any project uniquely named in its registry to be sub-domained as http://project-name.sourceforge.net or http://project-name.sf.net. This gives some prominent URL branding to a project and a high activity in it can get the project listed on the main page http://sourceforge.net as a Top Project. Any participating project having a high number of registered members (say, over a million) and which is often researched for project information can gain fast access to the market of developers and users for a rapid and efficient adoption rate.

SourceForge.net provides storage space for a project to house content such as a wiki, MySQL database, source code versions managed with CVS or Subversion, and even their own website pages at the subdomain location.

By uploading code to SourceForge.net, you grant SourceForge a perpetual proprietary license.[5]

[edit] Temporary ban in mainland China

Main article: Golden Shield Project

The entire SourceForge.net website was banned in mainland China around 2002,[6] though the ban was later lifted in 2003[citation needed]. Sourceforge.net had been blocked in China as of June 26, 2008.[7] This blocking may be related to the recent protests of Beijing Olympic Games, which began on 8 August 2008. This follows the China-boycott of the developer(s) of the (sourceforge hosted) FOSS software product Notepad++. The project's developer said that the action is not against Chinese people, but against Chinese government's repression against Tibetan unrest earlier in this year.[7] This ban was lifted on July 23, 2008.

[edit] Banned countries

In its terms of use[8], SourceForge states that its services are not available to users in countries on the sanction list of the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (e.g., Cuba and Iran). As of January 2008, people from those countries can browse SourceForge projects and download from them, but access to the secure server (https://sourceforge.net) is not allowed. This means that people coming from those IP addresses can't login to SourceForge or contribute to projects.

[edit] Suit by SPPF

 Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (November 2008)

Société civile des Producteurs de Phonogrammes en France is an umbrella group for a variety of organizations in France. In November, 2008, SPPF initiated a suit against Sourceforge, Vuze, Limewire, and Morpheus for “knowingly distributing software with the purpose to permit unauthorized access to copyrighted works.”[9]

[edit] See also

Free software portal

[edit] References

  1. ^ "sourceforge.net - Site Information from Alexa". Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  2. ^ "What is SourceForge.net?". Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  3. ^ Sourceforge attractes almost 30m visitors yearly
  4. ^ Taft, Darryl K. (April 24, 2007). "CollabNet Acquires SourceForge". Retrieved on 28 November 2007. 
  5. ^ "Terms and Conditions of Use". SourceForge.net. SourceForge, Inc. (2000-08-15). Retrieved on 2008-02-22. "By submitting, posting or displaying Content on or through SourceForge.net, you grant Company a worldwide, non-exclusive, irrevocable, perpetual, fully sublicensable, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, create derivative works from, publish, perform, display, rent, resell and distribute such Content (in whole or part) on SourceForge.net and incorporate Content in other works, in any form, media, or technology developed by Company, though Company is not required to incorporate Feedback into any Company products or services. Company reserves the right to syndicate Content submitted, posted or displayed by you on or through SourceForge.net and use that Content in connection with any service offered by Company."
  6. ^ "China says asta la vista to Altavista". vnunet.com (2002-09-06). Retrieved on 2007-12-04.
  7. ^ a b SourceForge Blocked In China
  8. ^ SourceForge.net: alexandria » Terms of Use
  9. ^ Record Labels to Sue Vuze, Limewire and SourceForge

[edit] External links