October 2012 Summaries

The latest release of GitHub Enterprise introduces several new features and enhancements, including the Command Bar and User Profile Pages, alongside improvements from GitHub.com such as Star Searching and Filtering, Contributing Guidelines, and a revamped Notifications API. Noteworthy additions for enterprise users include detailed audit logs that provide comprehensive security history and push logs, enhanced search capabilities through the integration of ElasticSearch for faster and more consistent results, and a maintenance mode that allows installations to be temporarily disabled for browsing and git operations. The update also features a refreshed Management Console UI, offering a more streamlined experience for administrators.

The second annual Octocat Dodgeball Invitational is approaching, promising an exciting event on November 11th at the SoMa Recreation Center where companies will compete in dodgeball while raising funds for four local charities: 826 Valencia, Streetside Stories, SF Public Libraries, and Second Harvest Food Bank. Last year, the event successfully raised $57,000 for global charities, combining philanthropy with friendly competition. Participants can sign up to play and aim for the honor of having their names alongside Heroku on the OctoTrophy. For those who prefer to spectate, the event will be live-streamed at Jillian’s, offering a chance to enjoy the tournament on big screens with a drink, though space is limited, so early registration is encouraged.

GitHub has introduced new notification features that inform users when a Pull Request is merged and when an Issue or Pull Request is closed or reopened. These updates aim to enhance user awareness and improve workflow efficiency by keeping contributors informed about the status of their projects.

GitHub has introduced a new API for managing notifications and stars, allowing users to view and mark notifications as read through the /notifications endpoint. This feature enables users to filter unread notifications and even narrow them down to a specific repository. Further details and guidance on utilizing this functionality are available on the API Changes blog and in the comprehensive Notifications API documentation, as explained by Risk Olson, also known by the username @technoweenie.

A public workshop on Git Foundations is being held for the first time in Denver, Colorado, hosted by Tim Berglund and Matthew from the training team, who usually conduct their sessions outside the city. Priced at $195 to encourage community participation, the workshop will cover a range of topics including the history of Git, configuration, understanding Git’s three-stage thinking, comparing file differences, viewing history, file management, branching and merging, rebasing, and collaboration using GitHub.

GitHub organized a game jam called "Game Off" in November, inviting participants to create web-based games inspired by themes such as forking, branching, cloning, pushing, and pulling. Participants, either individuals or teams, could use open-source libraries and frameworks to develop their games, with submissions required to be playable in a browser and hosted on a fork of the github/game-off-2012 repository. The winners would receive iPads or equivalent Apple Store credit, while runners-up would get GitHub swag, and all participants would earn a limited edition Coderwall badge. The judging panel included industry professionals like David Czarnecki and Eric Preisz, and games had to be submitted by December 1st, with winners announced before Christmas. Participants were encouraged to follow GitHub on Twitter for updates and to engage with the community using the hashtag #ggo12.

GitHub has announced Rebel, a new framework designed to improve Apple's AppKit by addressing its limitations and enhancing usability without a complete overhaul. This shift marks a move away from Twitter’s TwUI framework, which GitHub previously collaborated on, due to recent improvements in AppKit found in macOS Lion and Mountain Lion that have reduced the necessity for TwUI. Rebel aims to solve persistent issues such as NSTextField blurriness and NSScrollView performance, while introducing features like iOS-like resizable images and improved popover customization. Although Rebel is currently in alpha, it is already being used in GitHub for Mac, and the developers invite feedback and contributions as the framework evolves.

GitHub has been enhancing its GitHub for Mac application by implementing the Mantle framework, which simplifies creating a flexible model layer in Cocoa or Cocoa Touch. This framework addresses common issues with traditional Objective-C model objects, such as boilerplate code and difficulties with JSON integration, by providing features like reversible transformers and an extensible method for merging new data. Unlike Core Data, which can be complex and cumbersome for simple JSON operations, Mantle streamlines the process, offering higher-order functions and better handling of version migrations. Mantle, which is already utilized in GitHub for Mac's production code, is open for contributions, although it is subject to changes as it continues to evolve, with robust unit test coverage ensuring reliability.

GitHub has introduced an enhancement to its repository interface by displaying the latest commit information not only on the root page of a repository but also for each directory within it. This update allows users to see the most recent commit that affected any file within a specific directory, providing a more detailed and granular view of repository changes. The feature was announced by Kyle Neath, adding a layer of convenience for developers who need to track code changes efficiently.

Join RubyConf Argentina attendees, including @calavera and @pengwynn, for a social gathering at The Temple Bar in Buenos Aires. The event, organized by Nicolás Sanguinetti, is scheduled for Friday, October 19th, starting at 6:00 PM, offering an opportunity for participants to connect over drinks in a relaxed setting.

Tim Berglund announces his participation in JAX London and Software Architect conferences in London, England, and invites attendees to a GitHub Drinkup event. Scheduled for Wednesday, October 17th, at 6:00 pm, the event will be held at The Old Queen’s Head in Islington. It's an opportunity for networking with new friends, enjoying good beer, and discussing GitHub-related topics. Attendees are encouraged to mention they are there for the GitHub Drinkup to locate the group.

GitHub Flavored Markdown now includes a new feature that simplifies finding emojis by introducing an autocomplete function similar to the @mention system. Users can type a colon (:) to trigger a list of emoji suggestions, which is dynamically filtered as more characters are typed, allowing for quick identification of the desired emoji. Once located, users can easily insert the emoji by pressing the tab or enter key, streamlining the process of adding emojis without the need to scroll through the extensive list of over 800 options.

Jonathan Hoyt invites attendees to join him, @holman, and participants from re:build 2012 for a social gathering at The Speak Easy in Indianapolis, Indiana. The event is set to occur on Friday, October 12th, starting at 7 PM, with GitHub covering the expenses.

The Second Annual Octocat Dodgeball Invitational is set to take place at the SoMa Rec Center, expanding its scope from last year with more teams and donations, in collaboration with the World Dodgeball Society. Scheduled for November 11th, the event will accommodate 24 teams, each consisting of 10 to 12 members and requiring a $3,000 donation to participate. The tournament aims to raise funds for four local charities: 826 Valencia, Streetside Stories, SF Public Libraries, and Second Harvest Food Bank. Last year’s event successfully raised $57,000, with Heroku's team emerging victorious. This year promises to be bigger and better, with activities including a warm-up, tournament play, finals, an awards ceremony, and an after-party.

GitHub for Mac released an update that introduced Notification Center support for OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, enabling users to receive automatic notifications for activities such as issues, pull requests, and git events from watched repositories. However, this feature was later removed because it was not fully developed, with GitHub deciding to focus on delivering a more comprehensive solution in the future. Users were advised to rely on website or email notifications in the interim.

As autumn arrives and leaves transition from green to seasonal hues, the text invites readers to momentarily pause their Halloween preparations, such as creating costumes for pets, and instead attend a social gathering. The event, an SF Drinkup, is scheduled for Thursday evening at Finnegans Wake, where attendees can enjoy drinks and engage in discussions related to GitHub. The gathering promises a casual setting for community interaction and networking, organized by Kami Richey, and aims to bring together individuals interested in technology and socializing.

GitHub for Mac has introduced a new feature that allows users to autocomplete GitHub usernames directly within the commit summary and description fields, similar to how it functions on GitHub.com. This feature is accessible by typing "@" followed by the beginning of a username, with a popover helping users select the desired name using arrow keys or by continuing to type. Additionally, GitHub for Mac will no longer support Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) as the software will now require at least OS X 10.7 (Lion) or 10.8 (Mountain Lion) to take advantage of newer developer improvements. Users still on Snow Leopard will not receive new updates but can continue using their current version.

In an effort to unite the developer and designer communities in Columbus, Ohio, GitHub is hosting a casual networking event at The Three-Legged Mare, where drinks are complimentary. Scheduled for Thursday, October 11th at 7:00 PM, this GitHub Drinkup encourages both tech enthusiasts and creative professionals to mingle and discuss the intersection of their fields. Organized by Jason Long, a designer at GitHub, and joined by new GitHub member Mattyoho, the event aims to foster collaboration and highlight the commonalities between seemingly disparate disciplines within the local community.

GitHub co-founder Tom Preston-Werner, also known as @mojombo, will be visiting Boulder and is inviting local GitHub enthusiasts for a casual meet-up over beer at Southern Sun. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, October 9, at 9:00 PM, and offers an opportunity to discuss GitHub and coding with other attendees from the area. The gathering is organized by Jenifer Duke and aims to foster community connections among GitHub users in Boulder.

Over the past six months, GitHub's training organization has experienced significant growth, expanding its team and resources to better facilitate the use of Git and GitHub. To support this expansion, a new training site, training.github.com, has been launched, offering online and in-person events, registration for classes, office hours, and educational resources. The site, designed by Coby Chapple and developed by Zachary Kaplan, aims to streamline processes and enhance user experience. In alignment with GitHub's open-source philosophy, the organization has started releasing its training materials on the beta site teach.github.com, encouraging users to engage with and contribute to them. Additionally, GitHub invites requests for private training sessions and speaking engagements worldwide, underscoring its commitment to global outreach and education.

John Britton is in Cambridge, MA, giving tech talks at local universities and is open to visiting more schools upon request. During his visit, he is organizing his first GitHub Drinkup, inviting people to join him for a social gathering at Trina’s Starlite Lounge on Tuesday, October 9, at 7:00 PM.

Norfolk, Virginia's second-largest city, is hosting an event for East Coast GitHub enthusiasts to gather at The Public House for discussions about GitHub and coding. The meetup, scheduled for Tuesday, October 9th at 8:00 PM, provides an opportunity for attendees to enjoy complimentary drinks and engage in conversations about technology and software development. The event details were shared by Jon Maddox.