Pkg.jl telemetry should be opt-in
I feel like many developers fail to understand the difference between the ethos of Free&#x2F;Libre&#x2F;Open source <i>software</i>, and the realities of running a networked <i>service</i>.<p>Services are not free (as in beer) - they always take time, money, and labor to provide. A PkgServer.jl is exactly the kind of thing that has to be sustained <i>somehow</i>.<p>It&#x27;s not possible to use a networked service without exchanging some information with that service, which may or may not be useful for the service providers to collect, so that they can provide a better service (Read: make it cost less)<p>The idea that one should be entitled to use a service, for free, and at the same time ask that the service does not collect any data, or make it opt-in by default, is akin to demanding free beer that people can optionally pay for.<p>Caveat: My bias is from being a service provider for a packaging endpoint, a security updates endpoint, and a community CI service. Any telemetry data we can get our hands on to help us make informed decisions about what to support, and what to drop support is absolutely invaluable.