The open-source game compatibility tool Luxtorpeda has migrated from GitHub to Codeberg, citing ongoing issues with the Microsoft-owned platform. In an announcement on its website, developer d10sfan detailed the move, stating the project is leaving "mainly from the latest issues with github, from stability, AI, and where they are putting their focus."
Luxtorpeda functions by automatically downloading and installing open-source engine reimplementations and other mods for supported games when run on Linux. For example, using Luxtorpeda with Morrowind on Linux can seamlessly set up OpenMW, a popular open-source engine recreation.
GitHub, long a central hub for open-source development, has faced increasing criticism since its acquisition by Microsoft in 2018. Concerns have been raised regarding Microsoft's integration of AI, particularly its training of large language models on site data and its promotion of the Copilot developer tool. Additionally, GitHub has experienced notable periods of instability, impacting developer workflows.
This instability has led other projects to seek alternative platforms. The terminal emulator Ghostty recently announced its departure from GitHub, citing frequent outages that significantly hindered productivity. The developer noted that nearly daily GitHub outages, including issues with GitHub Actions, made the platform unreliable for serious work.
Similarly, the Linux distribution Gentoo announced earlier this year that it was moving away from GitHub, primarily due to "the continuous attempts to force Copilot usage for our repositories."
Codeberg, a German non-profit organization, is the new home for Luxtorpeda, as well as Gentoo. The original Luxtorpeda project on GitHub has now been archived. This trend of projects moving to decentralized or non-profit platforms is seen by some as a positive development, potentially counteracting the perceived stifling influence of large tech corporations on open-source ecosystems.