GitHub vs Google Code for a hobby project [closed]

Question

Note: I have seen this and tried to take as much from it as possible; but I believe my context is different.

I am working on a small-ish project. Call it Foobar. I'm wanting to get this done more organised..I've tried a few projects, mostly as an unorganised programming-as-a-light-hobby student. I'm trying to get more organised; 90% of those projects went after I either failed to document at all, or because I lost them.

As such, I've been thinking about getting version control/hosting going. Not only will it organise me more, but (a big if here) if it gets anywhere into a usable state, it will be easier for people to get.

The two places I'm considering are Google Code and GitHub. From the question I linked:

Google Code:

• As with any Google page, the complexity is almost non-existent
• Everyone (or almost everyone) has a Google account, which is nice if people want to report problems using the issues system

GitHub:

• May (or may not) be a little more complex (not a problem for me though) than Google's pages but...
• ...has a much prettier interface than Google's service
• It needs people to be registered on GitHub to post about issues
• I like the fact that with Git, you have your own revisions locally

From this I'm leaning towards GitHub, as Google Code doesn't look appealing to me.

For a small hobby project - basically making community features irrelevant - are there features that should take me over to one side or the other?

Answer 1

I prefer Google Code since it's just easier for my small personal projects. At the end of the day, for free projects, it's hard to steal time from family, friends or other commitments and the key to making small free projects a success is being realistic with your time. (Elsewise, you get the "80% done" problem.)

Google Code now has GIT support.

Biggest advantage of Google Code is that you don't need a website.
- The frontpage of the project is enough.
- You can add simple binary downloads in the Downloads section.
- In comparison, GITHUB's interface is REALLY confusing to non-programmers. Your frontpage is full of technobabble and so unless it's a coder's tool, you'll need a separate website.
- Marketing's really good- You get a good rank on Google and often you'll be picked up and sometimes reviewed by other download sites. There's no sense donating your time if no one can find your project.

If it is entirely a coder's tool (not just a handy IT tool), then perhaps GITHUB is better.

Answer 2

You say "I believe my context is different", but don't give any reasons why it is. As such, I can't offer you any specific suggestions other than the generic pros and cons, which are outlined in various documents and tutorials online.

My suggestion: pick a program first (git, Mercurial, or SVN) and use it. Find a hosting site that supports the software (at the time of this answer, GitHub for git, BitBucket or Google Code for Mercurial, Google Code for SVN) and use it. If you run into problems, switch to another one.

I've used all three, and typically the problem isn't the hosting, but the fact that you need to learn the program itself. All of the hosting providers listed here will suit you fine until you have a specific reason why it doesn't.