# Mailing lists vs Github

DevFeed: [Mailing lists vs Github](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/mailing-lists-vs-github-21481.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://begriffs.com/posts/2018-06-05-mailing-list-vs-github.html>)

Published: 2018-06-05T00:00:00Z

Content type: comparison

Language: en

Sources: [Joe Nelson](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/joe-nelson.md>)

Topics: [GitHub](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/github.md>), [pull-requests](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/pull-requests.md>), [Open Source](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/open-source.md>), [Git](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/git.md>), [GitLab](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/gitlab.md>)

Tags: [collaboration](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/collaboration.md>), [compare](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/compare.md>), [github](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/github.md>), [gitlab](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/gitlab.md>), [open-source](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/open-source.md>), [pull-request](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/pull-request.md>), [version-control](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/version-control.md>)

## AI overview

A comparison of developer mailing lists with GitHub-style code collaboration platforms, including GitLab. It explains how GitHub supports forks, branches, pull requests, comments, commits, bug tracking, wikis, and release artifacts, while mailing lists use email discussions and textual patches. The article argues that threaded email, patch generation, and flexible mixing of discussion with patches can provide greater precision and flexibility than the GitHub UI.

## Source excerpt

2018-06-05 Most fledgling open source projects use Github or Gitlab to collaborate on code. However there's an older method that developers ought to know about because it offers some advantages. The alternative method is the developer mailing list. It arose in the late eighties to early nineties, and predates the popularity of the web browser.