> it takes some mental gymnastics to not see this post as a really positive turn from GH.
So... why did the EFF have to step in here? GitHub deserves some credit, but I cannot give them all of the credit. As far as I can tell, this situation was at a stand still for the better part of a month until the EFF got involved.
The EFF's letter gave them the legal justification they needed to restore it. It helped.
The fact they restored everything in just a day after receiving it makes that pretty clear. They didn't need to evaluate their options much at all; as soon as they received it, the repo was back. I wouldn't even be surprised to learn that the EFF talked off the record with GitHub beforehand.
Why didn't they have "the legal justification they needed to restore it" before the EFF sent their letter? We're talking about Microsoft here. I do not believe they are so helpless.
