back to article Microsoft: 'So, we can buy GitHub?' EU: 'We'll tell you on 19 October'

Microsoft will find out on 19 October if EU regulators wave through its $7.5bn acquisition of GitHub, according to a filing published today. The filing, which was originally made on 14 September, makes a request for approval. EU competition regulators have until a provisional deadline of 19 October to either give the buyout …

  1. Teiwaz

    Wow!

    Angry Brexiters looking to lambast the EU for anything of late are going to have a bit of dichotomy commenting on this if they also don't like MS.

    1. TVU Silver badge

      Re: Wow!

      "Angry Brexiters looking to lambast the EU for anything of late are going to have a bit of dichotomy commenting on this if they also don't like MS"

      Brexiters are always in a permanent state of perpetual anger and the only thing that will change that is a complete severance from the EU which will, of course, destroy the UK's manufacturing base but they just don't care because ideology must reign supreme.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Alternatively, they could have improved LinkedIn

    By adding the "nationalities held" field I suggested to LinkedIn 3 years ago .... (apparently it was a "most excellent" idea)

    1. Zippy´s Sausage Factory

      Re: Alternatively, they could have improved LinkedIn

      I don't think their acquisition of LinkedIn was made with any thought of improving anything other than the amount of money flowing into their bank account, to be honest. Everything else is probably considered secondary to that...

      1. JohnFen

        Re: Alternatively, they could have improved LinkedIn

        Yes. Plus, rather than improving LinkedIn, they made it much, much worse.

  3. redpawn

    All your code are belong to us

    Watch for new terms of use and binding arbitration.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: All your code are belong to us

      Too late. All my code has been deleted. This happened the day that the takeover was announced.

      Probably too late but it is my code and really has zero commercial value to MS. The code only works with some IBM products and MS's equivalent product is a POS.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: All your code are belong to us

        Relax. I forked it and put it back up there for you and everyone else to enjoy...

    2. JohnFen

      Re: All your code are belong to us

      As far as I'm concerned, Microsoft can demand whatever they like in their T&C for GitHub. I've already removed all my projects from it shortly after Microsoft announced that they were buying it. That was the clear writing on the wall that GitHub became untrustworthy, as GitHub users would become much more vulnerable to Microsoft's terrible behavior.

  4. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

    "Dude, we've changed, yeah?"

    Is this the same MS who got find and forced at add the Browser Choice thing to Windows and are now testing a "warning, you are attempting install some shitty insecure browsers instead of our super duper secure Edge browser"?

    1. a_yank_lurker

      Re: "Dude, we've changed, yeah?"

      Yup, the same sad sack outfit that foisted Imbecile Explorer on the world. I think in the case of Linkedin and GitHub Slurp does not really understand either business. Thus the real risk is not immediately but out a few years when they try to more tightly 'integrate'' either with their other products. Right now I have a barely ticking LinkedIn account; haven't been aggravated enough to pull the plug. I do not have any code stored on external repositories such as GitHub and no plans to use GitHub in the future; might look at GitLab if I do decide to use one.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    We'll ok this after you stop slurping Europeans data

    Seems to me they should be told No, until MS stops slurping (without consent) the data of all EU users.

    If they add options to Win 7 / 8.1 / 10 so the data slurp can be really turned off, and set it to off by default, that would bring things into line.

    Until then, they're just proving they can't be trusted with anything, and should be told No as such.

  6. RyokuMas
    Stop

    Hello pot, this is kettle

    Oh no! Oh woe! The big bad Microsoft (insert name-calling substitute here if so desired) is going to slurp all our code! We can no longer trust Github! We must remove all our files right now...!!!

    To all those making these kind of noises: what's your go-to search engine? browser? What OS does your phone run on? Do you use social media of any kind?

    ... just sayin'...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Hello pot, this is kettle

      > To all those making these kind of noises: what's your go-to search engine? browser? What OS does your phone run on? Do you use social media of any kind?

      DuckDuckGoOnion, Palemoon, no phone, no social media.

      Maybe a surprise to you, but the things you're trying to insinuate.. aren't really needed for a happy modern life.

      Try going without sometime.

      1. RyokuMas
        Pint

        Re: Hello pot, this is kettle

        "DuckDuckGoOnion, Palemoon, no phone, no social media."

        Nice going. If I knew who you were, I'd salute you!

        You're right - those things are not really needed for a happy modern life. But the fact is that the vast majority of people do use these things.

        Given that we of the technical community are charged with the responsibility of leading the way in this field, the fact that there are so many who still quite happily use the likes of - and even advocate - Google, Facebook et al's services while whining about Microsoft's data policies and track record gives me a sense of dread. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

    2. JohnFen

      Re: Hello pot, this is kettle

      "The big bad Microsoft (insert name-calling substitute here if so desired) is going to slurp all our code!"

      That's not even close to being my concern, since all the code I had on GitHub was open source or copyright-free anyway.

      "To all those making these kind of noises: what's your go-to search engine? browser? What OS does your phone run on? Do you use social media of any kind?"

      I genuinely don't see why the answers to this matter, but here are mine: Duck Duck Go, Waterfox, Heavily modified Android, and no.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    An American company wants to buy an American company and it needs to satify the EU?

    What can the EU do if Microsoft went ahead with it anyway? it's on US soil not EU.

    1. Spazturtle Silver badge

      Neither Microsoft or GitHub are American companies though. They are multinational.

      1. Hstubbe

        And no doubt have a po box as a head office in some European country to avoid paying too much tax.

    2. JohnFen

      "What can the EU do if Microsoft went ahead with it anyway?"

      Penalize Microsoft's EU operations.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    CRINGE at the commenters saying they removed their repos from GitHub. As if anyone in the world cared about your hello worlds, lol. Yeah go ahead guys, I'm sure Microsoft is devastated and GitHub will effectively die now. Seriously, how can you be so out of touch with reality?

    Also, is it just me or the EU is getting too out of hand, asking every company to comply with their rules, fining billions of dollars, requiring approval for buyouts, GDPR, article 13...

    I forsee a trend of US companies refusing to operate in the EU if they keep going with this. Smaller companies will definitely think it twice.

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like