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0 pointspteraspidomorph4y ago0 comments

They're not discontinuing them for now. You already can't create new URLs, but they will be deprecating the service "in the future". What does that entail?

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3 comments · 1 top-level

rezonant4y ago· 2 in thread

I hate when "deprecate" is used to mean "remove" (if that's what's happening here).

tobyjsullivan4y ago

"deprecate" and "remove" are not synonymous and I don't see any indication they are being conflated here. Deprecation often precedes removal but that's the extent of it.

Deprecation generally means continued use of tool/API/etc. is actively discouraged. Users of a deprecated tool/API/etc. should find a suitable alternative for all their remaining use cases. In this case, once this shortener is officially deprecated, anyone using a git.io URL for any purpose should replace it with an alternative.

Deprecation is usually a precursor to removal. Once the tool/API/etc. has been deprecated long enough (relatively speaking), it's generally consider as safe as practical to remove the tool/API/etc. from service. That lead time can range anywhere from months to years.

rezonant4y ago

Yes that's the way I use the word as well, it is a pet peeve of mine when that is not the case.

> "deprecate" and "remove" are not synonymous and I don't see any indication they are being conflated here. Deprecation often precedes removal but that's the extent of it.

The reason I'm equating "deprecate" and "remove" in this case is because they have already said there will be no more git.io links created -- so how can you "deprecate" it further? I suppose they could say "Hey, this is deprecated now and we're going to shut it down in six months", and in this case, the user behavior that is discouraged is "relying on the links".

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