July 2016 Summaries

In May, GitHub hosted its first international conference, GitHub Satellite, in Amsterdam, attracting 600 developers to participate in the event, which is part of the GitHub Universe series. GitHub CEO Chris Wanstrath introduced key developments, including the announcement of unlimited free private repositories and the release of Electron 1.0. The conference featured two tracks, Discover and Develop, where industry experts, including developers from gov.uk, SAP, Spotify, and IBM, shared insights on creating impactful technologies. Videos of the conference sessions are available online, and the event closed with a call to attend the upcoming GitHub Universe in San Francisco, promising expanded sessions, trainings, and workshops.

GitHub Universe is an engaging event scheduled for September 13-15, offering advanced trainings, deep dives into open-source projects, insightful keynotes, and a glimpse into effective software teams, all set in a picturesque location. As the early bird ticket deadline approaches on July 31, attendees are urged to purchase tickets before prices rise from $399 to $599. Additionally, the call for speakers remains open for six more days, providing an opportunity for individuals to share their experiences with the vast software community. CodeConf alum E Dunham offers valuable tips for those considering submitting a proposal, emphasizing the urgency and excitement surrounding this unique gathering.

Organization owners can streamline the process of adding new members, billing managers, and owners to their GitHub organization by sending email invitations, which is particularly useful for inviting individuals without a GitHub account or with unknown usernames. Once invited, new members will receive an email prompting them to join the organization, and if they lack a GitHub account, they will be directed to create one through a guided signup process.

Patchwork is collaborating with Code for Philly to host a casual and interactive evening event aimed at introducing beginners to Git and GitHub, while also offering mentorship opportunities for experienced users. Scheduled for August 2nd at Pipeline Philly, the event is open to all, regardless of prior affiliation with Code for Philly, and will feature hands-on learning modules such as Introduction to Git, Introduction to GitHub, and Creating a Site with GitHub Pages. Participants will have the chance to work at their own pace, aided by GitHub staff and community mentors, to achieve practical outcomes like a merged pull request and an enhanced contribution graph. The event promises an informal atmosphere with food, refreshments, and networking opportunities, and encourages attendees to register through Code for Philly's Meetup Event, with additional details provided upon registration. The venue is wheelchair-accessible, and attendees are asked to inform the organizers of any food allergies during registration.

GitHub Universe 2016 is inviting speakers to submit proposals for breakout sessions by July 31st, aiming to feature 24 diverse speakers from various backgrounds in its event on September 14-15th. The sessions will cover the spectrum of software development, from pre-coding stages to scaling and maintaining code, and welcome insights from both open source contributors and enterprise teams. The event seeks to explore themes like workflow, community, business, and ecosystem, offering honorariums and travel accommodations to make participation accessible. For those needing assistance with proposal preparation, resources such as Lucy Bain’s blog post and E. Dunham’s guide on crafting abstracts are recommended.

GitHub experienced a significant denial of service attack a year ago, prompting the company to develop new mitigation strategies to ensure high availability for its users. One of the attacks, a SYN flood, exploits the TCP handshake process, inundating servers with SYN requests and potentially overwhelming server resources. Traditional methods like SYN cookies, which defer connection state storage until a valid ACK is received, help mitigate such attacks but have limitations in performance and scalability. GitHub's innovative solution, synsanity, is an iptables module for Linux 3.x that functions similarly to SYN cookies but operates more efficiently by generating SYN cookies outside the standard Linux kernel's LISTEN lock. This approach minimizes impact on normal operations and avoids the need for a custom kernel, allowing GitHub to maintain service integrity during high-volume attacks. Synsanity, which has effectively mitigated numerous attacks, is now open-sourced, reflecting GitHub's commitment to community collaboration and scrutiny for robust security solutions.

Patchwork is hosting an event in Seattle on July 21 for both beginners and mentors interested in learning and teaching Git and GitHub. This informal and self-directed workshop, taking place at MAKERS Coworking, aims to provide a relaxed environment for participants to explore various learning modules, including Introduction to Git, Introduction to GitHub, and Creating a Site with GitHub Pages, with no prior coding experience required. Attendees will receive guidance from GitHub employees and local mentors, leaving with practical skills such as a merged pull request and a contribution to their GitHub graph. Mentors are encouraged to share their knowledge and help newcomers navigate the open-source community. The event includes food and refreshments, is wheelchair accessible, and requires participants to RSVP and sign up for a GitHub account beforehand.

CodeConf LA brought together 300 open source enthusiasts in Los Angeles and more than 500 virtual attendees for a dynamic event focused on the technical and cultural aspects of open source systems. The conference featured a full day of workshops and two days of single-track sessions with over 20 speakers, including notable figures like Mitchell Hashimoto and Anjuan Simmons, who discussed topics such as diversity, inclusion, and the importance of community in open source development. The event emphasized inclusivity by providing gender-neutral restrooms, nursing rooms, and complimentary tickets to encourage diverse participation. Attendees enjoyed networking opportunities, a trivia-filled after-party, and engaging visuals and swag, creating a memorable experience celebrated through social media and community interactions. The organizers expressed gratitude to sponsors and partners for supporting the open source community and encouraged attendees to share their insights for future events.

GitHub Universe is a three-day event held from September 13-15 at Pier 70 in San Francisco, designed for individuals shaping the future of software. Attendees can engage in advanced training, explore open source projects, and listen to keynotes from industry experts, while also gaining insights into successful software teams. Early bird tickets are priced at $399, offering access to all conference activities and The Big Bang benefit concert, with an option to include a day of hands-on workshops for an additional $100. The event's program includes contributions from community leaders, project maintainers, and industry experts, with a call for proposals open to speakers from various software sectors. Potential sponsors are invited to review the prospectus to support the event, which aims to blend the energy of a festival with the networking opportunities of a conference.

Milestones and labels serve as efficient tools for organizing issues, but prioritizing tasks can be enhanced by reordering issues and pull requests to reflect their importance. By utilizing a drag-and-drop feature or keyboard commands, users can rearrange issues within a milestone to highlight which tasks should be addressed first. This system allows teams to visually prioritize their workflow and focus on the most critical issues. Additional information on milestones and issue prioritization can be found in the help guide authored by Ayman Nadeem.

GitHub, in collaboration with Q42, is hosting a Patchwork event in Amsterdam on August 5 to celebrate PRIDE and support the LGBTQ community by providing an informal, hands-on workshop for learning Git and GitHub. The event, welcoming both beginners and mentors, offers modules such as Introduction to Git, Introduction to GitHub, and Creating a Site with GitHub Pages, requiring no prior coding experience. Participants will enjoy a casual atmosphere with community mentors available for assistance, and they will leave with practical skills, such as making a merged pull request. Attendees who register by July 15 can receive a free Pridetocat or Transtocat t-shirt, and all participants are encouraged to have a GitHub account prior to the event. The venue, Q42 in Amsterdam, is wheelchair-accessible, and food and refreshments will be provided, with accommodations for food allergies upon request.