October 2013 Summaries

GitHub announced upgrades to its network infrastructure, necessitating the decommissioning of outdated equipment and the cessation of HTTP, Git, and SSH requests to old IP addresses not returned from DNS for several domains, including github.com and api.github.com, effective November 5, 2013. Users are advised to remove any related entries in their /etc/hosts file or equivalent configuration files on Windows to avoid disruptions in service. The DNS servers are set to return the IP address of a random, healthy load balancer for these domains, and users are discouraged from replacing old entries with new ones, but rather removing them to ensure continued functionality. Jesse Newland emphasizes the importance of checking and updating network settings, especially for users experiencing warnings on GitHub.com, to facilitate a smooth transition to the updated infrastructure.

Octokit is a suite of client libraries designed for interacting with the GitHub API, with the latest addition being Octokit.net for .NET developers. This new library is used in GitHub for Windows and offers an asynchronous API through HttpClient, requiring .NET 4.5 or later. It is accessible via NuGet, and there is also an IObservable-based companion package, Octokit.Reactive, for those who prefer Reactive Extensions (Rx). The release follows the earlier introduction of Octokit libraries for Ruby and Objective-C, expanding the tools available for developers working with GitHub's API.

GitHub hosted its first game jam, "GitHub Game Off," encouraging participants to create web-based games throughout November based on the theme "change," with the flexibility to interpret the theme creatively. The event was open to both individuals and teams, who were urged to use open-source libraries, frameworks, graphics, and sounds in their game development. Prizes included iPad Airs for the top five winners and GitHub Shop credits for runners-up, with all winning entries showcased on GitHub's blog. The judging panel consisted of notable figures from the gaming and tech industries, including Adam Saltsman, Aleissia Laidacker, and others. To participate, developers needed to fork the GitHub repository, ensure their entries were web-based, and submit their work by December 1st, including a README file with a game description and screenshot. GitHub provided ample support and resources for those new to the platform and encouraged engagement through social media updates and a dedicated hashtag.

Ben Lavender, known as @bhuga, invites people to a social gathering at Beni Coffee and Bar in Shanghai to coincide with the start of QCon Shanghai. The event, scheduled for 7:30 PM on October 31st at 705 Yongjia Road in the Xuhui District, is open to everyone regardless of whether they are attending the conference or consuming alcohol. The gathering aims to provide an opportunity for attendees to meet and socialize in a relaxed setting.

An update to GitHub for Windows has been released, introducing a feature that allows users to see when a local branch is out of sync with its remote counterpart by displaying the number of commits ahead or behind. This information is conveniently located next to the sync button and is automatically updated, although users can also refresh it manually by pressing F5. Additionally, users can press the sync button at any time to obtain the latest changes from the remote, even before detection by GitHub for Windows. Existing users will receive this as a software update, while new users can download it from the GitHub website.

The GitHub Dodgeball Tournament is returning for its third annual edition, inviting 22 teams to compete in a charity event aimed at supporting four local non-profits. Scheduled for November 17th at the SoMa Recreation Center, the event will feature teams of 10 to 15 participants who must register with a $3,000 donation. The tournament, organized in collaboration with the World Dodgeball Society, will benefit Second Harvest Food Bank, Streetside Stories, Family House, and Year Up, each working towards community support in areas like food security, literacy, family housing, and career inspiration for students. Last year, the event raised over $62,000, and this year promises a day of competition, community, and celebration, culminating in awards and an after-party.

Join an engaging session in the Passion Projects talk series on Tuesday, October 29th, featuring Jen Myers, a web designer, developer, and instructor at Dev Bootcamp in Chicago, held at GitHub HQ in San Francisco. Renowned for her commitment to diversity in technology, Jen founded the Columbus chapter of Girl Develop It in 2011 and co-leads its Chicago chapter, aiming to make coding accessible to women through introductory classes. As an advocate for inclusive technology education, she frequently speaks on design and development, sharing insights on broadening participation in tech. Attendees are required to register due to limited space, and Jen can be followed on GitHub, Twitter, and her personal website.

Luke Hefson invites fellow hackers and tech enthusiasts to join him and the AfricaHackTrip team for the inaugural GitHub Drinkup in Kenya, coinciding with his visit to Nairobi for DEMO Africa. The event is set to take place at Brew Bistro in Piedmont Plaza on Ngong Road, Nairobi, on Tuesday, October 22, at 8:00 pm. This gathering aims to foster conversations and connections among participants while exploring the vibrant tech scene in East Africa.

GitHub recently updated its session management system to enhance security and functionality by addressing the limitations of using signed cookies for sessions, which are vulnerable to replay attacks and lack revocation capabilities. The new approach involves a hybrid method that incorporates a UserSession class as a first-class domain concern, offering a more transparent and manageable session handling process. This class, implemented as a normal ActiveRecord class, allows for features such as manual revocation, sudo mode tracking, and detailed session information accessible on the active sessions page. The transition to this new system was seamlessly executed over a month, during which both the old and new session systems operated concurrently, allowing users to switch without disruption. The improvements have clarified and enhanced GitHub's authentication logic, providing new possibilities for server-side data management.

Zach Holman invites readers to join him and Danny Greg at a social gathering in Beijing following RubyConf China, set to take place at CheKu Cafe on the second floor of XingDing Hotel in the Book City area of HaiDing. The event is scheduled for 7:30 PM on October 25th, and attendees do not need to be conference participants or consume alcohol to join. Holman encourages everyone to come by and say hello, emphasizing the casual, inclusive nature of the meetup.

Ivan Žužak and @jdennes are attending the WebCamp Zagreb conference and are organizing their first drinkup event in Croatia. The gathering is scheduled for Saturday, October 26, at 19:00, taking place at The Movie Pub located at Savska cesta 141, Zagreb. Attendees can enjoy free drinks and share stories about Git and GitHub in a casual setting.

Join the first-ever drinkup event in Tanzania, organized in collaboration with AfricaHackTrip, to celebrate and support hackers in East Africa. Following the BarCamp event at TANZICT, attendees are invited to Mbalamwezi Beach Club, where they can find a GitHub representative to receive a wristband for the bar. This event, aimed at fostering community and connection among tech enthusiasts, is scheduled for Friday, October 18th, 2013, at 20:00. The drinkup serves as an opportunity to engage with the tech community in a scenic location, highlighting the vibrant tech culture in this region.

Governments worldwide are increasingly utilizing GitHub to enhance website accessibility, publish laws and data, and collaborate on policy-making, leading to the launch of government.github.com, a platform that highlights the contributions of public servants and civic hackers globally. The site offers a comprehensive list of government organizations active on GitHub, encouraging local governments to join and share their open-source initiatives. Ben Balter, who has played a significant role in promoting open-source practices among government entities, has been instrumental in managing GitHub's enterprise offerings and ensuring platform security and community engagement through the development of numerous features supporting privacy, compliance, and content moderation.

In an effort to enhance security, users are now provided with increased transparency regarding their active browser sessions through a new feature accessible under Account settings > Security History. This feature enables users to view a list of all active sessions and offers the capability to remotely revoke any session, complementing the recent introduction of two-factor authentication.

GitHub for Windows has introduced several visual updates aimed at enhancing the user experience by making it lighter and brighter, with changes in layout and minor improvements throughout the interface. Key updates include moving the list of past commits to the left in the repository view, enabling users to read information more naturally from left to right, and introducing wrap-around for long diff lines to eliminate the need for horizontal scrolling. The application now uses relative time for commit history, which is more user-friendly and time-zone agnostic, benefiting users in distributed teams across different regions. Actions related to commits are now grouped together for easier access, and the overall design utilizes typography and white space effectively to organize and separate elements without excessive visual clutter. These updates are available as an automatic update for existing users or can be downloaded from the updated website.

AfricaHackTrip, sponsored by GitHub, is an initiative designed to foster continuous interaction with developer communities throughout Africa through a series of hackathons, barcamps, and tech-focused events. One of the highlights is a GitHub Drinkup event in Kigali, Rwanda, marking the first of its kind in the region, where participants can socialize after attending events at The Office co-working space. The gathering is scheduled for Friday, October 11th, at 9:00 PM at The Office, located on Plot No. 5852, Rue de Masaka, Kigali, Rwanda. The event aims to bring developers together for networking and collaboration in a relaxed setting.

Thirteen members of the Ladies of GitHub community are gathering in Minneapolis for the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing and are hosting a social event to celebrate the conference and their local community. The event is scheduled for Thursday, October 3rd, 2013, at 8:00 PM at The Local, located at 931 Nicollet Mall. Attendees are invited to join them for drinks and networking, with space reserved on the right-hand side of the bar. The announcement is authored by Julie Ann Horvath, also known by her Twitter handle @nrrrdcore.