On 1/30/2010 9:17 AM, OvermindDL1 wrote:
You can use Github without using git. You can use it purely for the gist functionality which is equivalent (or even better) than codepad, pastebin, or others like it.
The issue is that instead of people posting short code snippets in-email or as an attachment, they are posting it to something like codepad or one of its clones, thus when someone looks in the boost archive however many years from now, the link is invalid or points to the wrong code if it has been reassigned. People can make codepad last indefinitely as well, but it does not do that by default, and most people do not bother to change the options. It is *always* better just in inline it or attach it, depending on length. Always more easily acceptable and indexable by google then as code that is with the archive will be linked to it, where as it is not if on codepad or anywhere else, it has no reference there.
Sure, but if you really wanted to use something like codepad so that the code is accessible from elsewhere, Github gists are one way of doing it. And again, you don't have to know or use git to use the gist functionality.
You also get versions for free when using gists so that you can look at the evolution of the code snippet over time.
Where-as if you post it with the email directly, you get the advantages of both lifetime and searchability. Searchability is a *HUGE* thing with archives, putting code through links kills that.
And that is very important! I can't speak for Boost, but we're banning such practices in the Spirit lists. Regards, -- Joel de Guzman http://www.boostpro.com http://spirit.sf.net http://www.facebook.com/djowel Meet me at BoostCon http://www.boostcon.com/home http://www.facebook.com/boostcon