May 2018 Summaries

The report by David Kaye, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, addresses content moderation and free expression on social media platforms, emphasizing the role of automation, government takedown requests, and the use of human rights law as a standard. GitHub's contribution highlights the importance of ensuring government takedown requests are legitimate and specific, aligning their policies with international human rights standards, as articulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The report recommends that companies engage users, be transparent in rulemaking, and restrict content as narrowly as possible to mitigate human rights risks. It also advises against laws that mandate preventive monitoring or filtering of content, citing concerns about overblocking and privacy violations, particularly in response to the European Union's proposal on upload filters for copyright infringement. GitHub encourages public participation in policy development and provides resources for tracking government takedowns and policy updates.

GitHub Classroom offers an innovative approach for educators to manage student assignments by leveraging pull requests, which facilitate collaboration and detailed feedback. Unlike a linear commit approach on a single branch, pull requests allow students to create branches for assignments, commit changes with descriptive messages, and open discussions with teachers through threaded conversations and line-by-line comments. This method not only mirrors real-world software development practices but also enhances students' problem-solving and teamwork skills. For group assignments, pull requests become essential for coordinating efforts, enabling students to review, discuss, and resolve conflicts collaboratively. Educators gain insights into students' progress and group dynamics through the repository's Insights tab and the detailed interactions within pull requests. Teachers can also maintain a clean commit history by squashing past commits, ensuring students focus on current work. The use of pull requests enriches the educational experience by promoting a professional workflow and providing a platform for continuous dialogue between students and teachers.

GitHub is hosting a challenge from May 23 to June 26 on the Community Forum, encouraging participants to enhance their skills using the GitHub Learning Lab. Participants need to complete at least three courses on lab.github.com and submit their entries through the challenge page in the Community Forum. Those who finish the challenge by the deadline will receive a unique badge on their forum profile, marking their achievement and commitment to learning. This exclusive badge, available only through this challenge, serves as a recognition of participants' efforts to advance their knowledge with GitHub Learning Lab.

GitHub has implemented updates to its Privacy Statement and Terms of Service, effective as of May 25, following community feedback. These changes ensure compliance with the GDPR across all its services, including GitHub Pages, Atom, and Electron, regardless of user location. Users can review the modifications through the Site Policy repository, which contains detailed pull requests and historical releases of policy updates. By continuing to use GitHub, users implicitly accept the updated terms. The company expresses gratitude towards its community for contributing to these improvements and invites users to reach out with any questions.

RightsCon, an annual conference focusing on human rights in the digital age, gathered over 2,000 participants from 115 countries in Toronto to discuss issues such as AI bias, cybersecurity, and policy development for online platforms. GitHub, represented by Director of Platform Policy and Counsel Abby Vollmer, led discussions on creating community-driven policies to govern site usage, emphasizing transparency and democratic processes. The company highlighted its commitment to human rights by limiting censorship, promoting free expression, and ensuring privacy, in line with international human rights standards. GitHub also addressed global concerns such as the EU’s copyright proposal and assured compliance with the GDPR, while emphasizing its efforts against modern slavery and child labor. The conference underscored the importance for tech companies to integrate human rights considerations into their operations, a principle GitHub aims to uphold as it collaborates with policymakers and works to maintain an open and secure internet.

GitHub Desktop 1.2 introduces a suite of new features and enhancements designed to improve collaboration and workflow synchronization for teams using this Electron-based application. Key updates include the ability to compare branches and merge them more easily, as well as a new multi-file select feature that allows users to perform actions on multiple files simultaneously by using keyboard shortcuts. The open-source nature of GitHub Desktop has facilitated community contributions, with the latest release incorporating 26 contributions from 18 contributors, highlighting the collaborative spirit and continuous improvement fostered since version 1.1. Users are encouraged to participate in the ongoing development of GitHub Desktop by contributing to future updates and checking out detailed release notes for additional information.

GitHub Marketplace, launched a year ago, has evolved into a significant platform for developers, offering nearly 50 tools and serving over 100,000 users. It was designed as a unified location for the community to access necessary apps and services without the hassle of multiple accounts or payment systems. The platform has expanded its ecosystem by adding new partners, enhancing features like analytics, product placement, and account support, and streamlining the onboarding process to reduce listing time from two months to two weeks. GitHub Marketplace also introduced free app listings and free trials to encourage growth and engagement, with free trials reportedly increasing app revenue by 43 percent. As the Marketplace API comes out of preview, developers can now integrate Marketplace apps directly with their repositories, further embedding these tools into the GitHub workflow, as exemplified by partners like ZenHub and Travis CI, who value GitHub's commitment to ecosystem collaboration.

GitHub recently removed the Out of Band Garbage Collector (OOBGC) from its production environment, leading to a 10% reduction in CPU utilization across its machines, as well as a 25% decrease in average response times, although it resulted in increased average memory usage. The OOBGC was initially implemented to manage the "stop the world" pause times of Ruby's traditional garbage collector by running garbage collection after web requests were processed, but advancements in Ruby's garbage collector, including generational collection, incremental marking, and lazy sweeping, have improved its efficiency, rendering OOBGC less necessary. By eliminating OOBGC, GitHub observed significant CPU savings, which outweighed the increased memory usage, highlighting the importance of reassessing technological assumptions in light of ongoing advancements.

The integration between GitHub and Slack has been enhanced with new features designed to streamline productivity by turning conversations into actionable steps. Users can now execute common GitHub actions directly from Slack channels using slash commands like closing or reopening issues and pull requests, or opening new issues, although these commands require updated permissions from a GitHub organization owner or repository admin. Additionally, users can share and preview links from private GitHub repositories in Slack by inviting the GitHub integration to the channel. The app, built open source using publicly available APIs, encourages user contributions and offers a platform for developers to build their own integrations. These improvements aim to make collaboration between GitHub and Slack users more efficient and effective.

Ludum Dare is a global game development competition where developers are tasked with creating games over a weekend based on a specific theme, with Ludum Dare 41 challenging participants to combine two incompatible genres. The event saw more than 3,000 unique game submissions, ranging from real-time arcade games to visual novels and rhythm-based platformers, showcasing the creativity and diversity of the participants. Notable entries included "Rythm is Lava," a PICO-8 game that merges RPG, puzzle, platformer, and rhythm genres, and "Dungeon Scrawl," a rogue-like typing-tutor game. Other innovative games featured in the competition were "OUTLAW MAYOR PANIC!" where players build a city while outrunning the law, and "Crescendo," a rhythm-based platformer. The competition encourages developers to experiment with different game mechanics and offers a platform for both seasoned and new developers to showcase their skills, with the next Ludum Dare event scheduled for August 10th-13th.

Content moderation is a critical issue in today's digital landscape, and GitHub, primarily a code-hosting platform, is actively involved in these discussions, especially regarding its impact on free expression. United Nations Special Rapporteur David Kaye visited GitHub's headquarters as part of his research on content moderation, aiming to present a report to the UN Human Rights Council. GitHub, in its response, outlined its processes for handling takedown requests, including government and DMCA notices, and its commitment to transparency and fair use. The platform geo-blocks content not illegal globally, allows appeals for content removal, and adheres to international human rights law to protect free expression while limiting abuse. GitHub's Community Guidelines are designed to support marginalized groups and promote mutual respect among users. By open-sourcing its site policies, GitHub hopes to set a benchmark for best practices in content moderation, participating in relevant discussions and advocating for transparency and free expression. Abby Vollmer, GitHub's Director of Platform Policy and Counsel, highlights these efforts as part of GitHub’s broader strategy to influence policy that empowers developers and shapes the future of software.

A beginner-friendly webcast hosted by GitHub Trainers Briana Swift and Cynthia Rich aims to introduce participants to the basics of Git and guide them on how to effectively use GitHub. The session will cover useful tips for getting work done on the platform, provide an overview of the GitHub Flow, and offer insights on maximizing the platform's potential from the outset. The webcast is scheduled to occur on May 29 at 10:00 am CET and 9:00 am PT, encouraging interested individuals to register for the session that suits their time zone.

GitHub's transparency report reflects its commitment to maintaining openness about user information disclosure and content removal, detailing the methods and policies used in handling legal requests. In 2017, GitHub processed 51 legal requests to disclose user information, of which 43 were fulfilled, and saw an increase in non-disclosure orders, indicating a trend in legal constraints. The report highlights the platform's approach to government takedown requests, primarily from Russia, and DMCA takedown notices, which have risen alongside community growth. GitHub underscores the importance of transparency reports in fostering dialogue about censorship, privacy, and governance, and invites feedback to enhance future reports.

Patchwork is a hands-on Git and GitHub workshop coming to Phoenix, designed for both beginners eager to learn and advanced users interested in mentoring. Scheduled for May 19, 2018, at SAP Tempe, this casual and informal event offers participants the chance to explore various learning modules such as introduction to GitHub, markdown communication, GitHub Pages, and managing merge conflicts, among others. The workshop encourages a self-directed learning approach with community mentors available for guidance, and aims to boost newcomers' confidence to engage with the open source community by the end of the session. Organized in partnership with Girls In Tech, the event promises to offer fun incentives like stickers and special rewards for mentors, along with food and refreshments for all attendees. Participants are encouraged to RSVP, and those without a GitHub account are advised to sign up prior to attending.

April witnessed a host of exciting software releases across various domains, showcasing the dynamic nature of open-source development. Notable highlights include Hyper 2.0, an HTML, CSS, and JavaScript-based terminal emulator with a new rendering engine and Hyper store themes, and NetHack 3.6.1, a classic role-playing game that continues to evolve. Flask 1.0 introduced enhanced command-line flexibility and security improvements, while Nerd Fonts 2.0 expanded its icon collection and documentation translations. Monica 2.0 enhanced relationship management features, and React Styleguidist 7.0 improved React component documentation. Hackathon Starter 5.0 simplified Node.js app development, and PlayCanvas 1.0 offered a web-hosted game development platform. Chainer 4.0 advanced neural network performance, Handsontable 2.0 updated its spreadsheet component, and Redux 4.0 refined its state management capabilities. Honorary mentions include MySQL 8, Node.js 10, and npm 6, each bringing significant advancements in their areas. Written by Lee Reilly, this overview underscores the relentless innovation and collaboration within the open-source community.

In January 2018, GitHub introduced the public beta release of the Checks API, enhancing continuous integration (CI) by providing richer feedback on code through the GitHub user interface. This new functionality, initially available via the GitHub REST API, allows for detailed result reporting, code annotation, and reruns within pull requests, with GraphQL support expected soon. The Checks API is being integrated with services like Microsoft's Azure DevOps and Visual Studio App Center, enabling automated builds, real device testing, and analytics for mobile projects. Additionally, GitHub partnered with Microsoft to allow Outlook users to interact with GitHub issues and pull requests directly from their inbox. Travis CI and CircleCI are also incorporating Checks API capabilities to provide comprehensive build and test result visibility. These developments aim to streamline workflows and enhance the capabilities of GitHub's platform through an open ecosystem of applications.

GitHub has incorporated its Statement Against Modern Slavery and Child Labor into its Site Policy repository as part of an initiative to open source its policies for other companies to adopt. Although modern slavery and child labor are not typically linked to the software industry, GitHub recognizes the potential risk within various industries and is committed to preventing such abuses in its operations and supply chain. The statement, which exceeds UK Modern Slavery Act requirements by applying to suppliers as well, emphasizes GitHub's partnership with the FairHotel Program to promote fair labor practices. An annual update of the statement is planned to reinforce this commitment, and GitHub will discuss this initiative at RightsCon. Abby Vollmer, GitHub's Director of Platform Policy and Counsel, is leading the efforts to implement these policies and engage with policymakers to support the company's stance on human rights issues.

GitHub has launched the GitHub Changelog, a chronological list that details both major and minor user-facing changes made to the platform, aiming to enhance user experience by highlighting incremental improvements. This changelog will complement major release announcements on the GitHub Blog by covering smaller updates that might otherwise go unnoticed, such as new features, security updates, deprecations, and improvements. Each changelog entry will include a brief description and links to further resources like documentation or blog posts. Users can stay informed about updates by subscribing to the changelog or following the GitHub Changelog Twitter account.

Patchwork is hosting an event in Asheville, North Carolina, aimed at beginners looking to learn Git and GitHub, as well as mentors eager to assist others in their learning journey. The event, facilitated by GitHubbers and community mentors, offers various learning modules such as Introduction to GitHub and Managing merge conflicts, all within a relaxed, informal setting that encourages self-directed, hands-on learning. Taking place on May 9, 2018, at The Collider, attendees will gain practical experience and leave with a merged pull request and a square on their contributions graph, bolstering their confidence to engage more with the open-source community. Mentors are invited to share their knowledge and foster the development of future open-source contributors, with special appreciation given to them and all participants receiving stickers. The event promises an evening of learning, networking, and refreshments, with attendees encouraged to RSVP and sign up for a GitHub account in advance.

Project maintainers can enhance their contributor experience and streamline issue management by implementing multiple issue templates in their repositories. When contributors open a new issue, they can now select from different issue types, thus helping organize and manage the contributions more effectively. To enable this feature, maintainers can navigate to the "Settings" tab of their project and utilize the setup process to preview, edit, or create custom templates using a builder tool. Once the changes are integrated into the master branch, these new templates become available for contributors, facilitating a more structured and efficient contribution process.

GitHub announced the public beta of its open-source, Electron-built version of GitHub Desktop a year ago, providing a unified experience for both macOS and Windows users. Since then, its popularity has grown, with more users adopting the new version compared to the classic Mac and Windows versions combined, especially after the release of version 1.0 in September 2017. GitHub Desktop has seen several feature additions, including support for more external editors, expanded syntax highlighting, the ability to add co-authors to commits, and functionality to view and manage pull requests, many of which were contributed by the open-source community. Users of the classic app are now receiving notifications to upgrade to this new version, which offers a more comprehensive and improved workflow experience.

Understanding code changes is made easier with an improved diff view that reduces white space, allowing reviewers to focus on the actual code updates. The introduction of a "Diff settings" button enables users to automatically minimize white space in their view, enhancing the review process without losing the ability to comment on white space changes. These comments are preserved across both views, ensuring seamless communication. While the capability to reduce white space in diff views by adding "?w=1" to the URL has been available since 2011, the new button enhances this feature to better integrate into existing workflows.

Organizing projects can be challenging, but GitHub offers tools to streamline this process by allowing users to copy existing project boards and create templates, making it easier to start new projects with a consistent workflow. Users can reproduce the configuration of any project they have access to by copying it into any organization or repository they can write to, while board templates provide pre-configured setups for new Kanban-style boards, complete with columns and automation settings. When copying a board, users can edit the name, descriptions, and automation settings before finalizing the new board, ensuring a customized fit for each new project. Cards are not included in the copied boards, but organization-owned projects can be marked as public, and additional documentation is available to help users simplify their project boards.

GitHub Pages has introduced HTTPS support for custom domains, enhancing security and performance for over a million sites. This update encrypts traffic between GitHub's servers and users' browsers, ensuring secure communications and data integrity, and involves a partnership with Let's Encrypt, making GitHub a Silver-level sponsor of the initiative. Users utilizing CNAME or ALIAS records for their custom domains are automatically set for HTTPS, while those using A records need to update their DNS settings for compatibility. The new IP addresses not only enable HTTPS but also integrate a content delivery network (CDN) for faster site loading times and additional protection against DDoS attacks. Although previous IP addresses will remain for a transition period, migrating to the new addresses is recommended to enjoy improved speeds and security. More detailed guidance and support are available in the documentation, with direct assistance offered for any issues.