April 2018 Summaries

EU policymakers are in the midst of refining a proposal for copyright filters on uploaded content, which has stirred concerns among developers about efficacy, free speech, and privacy. The current debate focuses on the exclusion of non-profit open source software platforms from these requirements, yet many such platforms, like GitHub, are for-profit and therefore not exempt. DIGITALEUROPE has criticized the broad scope of Article 13, which does not adequately address the needs of open source repositories. The proposal also includes Article 11, introducing a new right for press publishers that could complicate the sharing of text snippets online, and Article 3, which allows text and data mining for research organizations on a non-profit basis only, potentially hindering AI development in the EU. These elements of the Copyright Directive, particularly concerning upload filters, ancillary copyright, and text and data mining, remain contentious and impactful for developers. Discussions are ongoing, with the EU Council and Parliament seeking to finalize a version of the proposal, while developers are urged to engage with policymakers to protect software development in the region.

GitHub has joined the Fintech Open Source Foundation (FINOS), a nonprofit that promotes open innovation in financial services, alongside organizations such as Red Hat, Nodesource, Citigroup, UBS, and HSBC. The growing reliance on open source software in financial services aims to enhance customer software, improve infrastructure, and empower engineering teams. GitHub has observed a 40% increase in contributions from fintech organizations in the past year, reflecting this trend. FINOS, formerly the Symphony Software Foundation, serves as an independent forum for open innovation in finance and plans to expand by incorporating new programs, members, and contributors. The foundation focuses on fostering collaboration to tackle the financial services industry's unique challenges and opportunities, and GitHub is enthusiastic about contributing to this mission.

Following the FCC's publication of its repeal of net neutrality regulations, the U.S. Congress has a limited window to reject this order, with approximately half of the 60 legislative days already elapsed. Efforts are underway to garner additional Senate support to disapprove the FCC's decision, with small businesses planning to deliver a letter to Congress urging action during Small Business Week. Meanwhile, several U.S. states, led by California, are taking legislative measures to uphold net neutrality, with California's S.B. 822 bill gaining significant backing as the most robust set of protections proposed. Individuals outside the U.S. are encouraged to support global efforts for net neutrality and engage with open internet issues in their regions.

GitHub Learning Lab is an interactive educational platform designed to help developers quickly acquire essential skills in Git and GitHub through hands-on experience within the GitHub environment. Unlike traditional tutorials, it uses an engaging approach where a bot guides users through practical labs, providing feedback and reviewing contributions like a collaborator. The platform offers a range of courses, including introductions to GitHub, Markdown communication, GitHub Pages, project migration, and managing merge conflicts, with plans to expand topics and invite new course authors. A supportive community forum is available for learners to seek assistance and share experiences, enhancing the learning journey with input from fellow learners and expert trainers.

The GitHub Education Team is organizing an evening meetup for Computer Science teachers at the Consortium for Computer Sciences in Colleges, located at the Manchester Makerspace in Manchester, New Hampshire. Scheduled for Saturday, April 21, from 6 to 9 pm, the event aims to bring together GitHub staff and educators from the Northeast region. Attendees will be offered an introductory presentation on integrating Git or GitHub into the classroom, along with an opportunity to ask questions, socialize, and enjoy dinner and refreshments. Registration is encouraged for this engaging networking opportunity.

GitHub is in the process of updating its policies, focusing on compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, and is seeking user input on these changes. The updates include adjustments to the Privacy Statement and Terms of Service to ensure clarity and transparency, particularly regarding data collection, handling, security, and user privacy expectations with third-party applications. The changes aim to align with GDPR requirements, such as informing users about the legal basis for data processing and providing detailed security practices. Additionally, GitHub is updating other policies, including the Code of Conduct for the Community Forum, the Marketplace Developer Agreement, and takedown policies, while reinforcing its stance against modern slavery and child labor. Users are encouraged to review the open pull requests in the Site Policy repository and provide feedback before the new policies are enacted on May 25.

The GitHub for Visual Studio Extension team has officially launched a feature allowing users to manage pull request reviews directly within Visual Studio, enhancing the workflow for GitHub users who develop with this editor. This update enables seamless navigation of pull requests, including viewing, checking out, and reviewing them, without needing to leave the Visual Studio environment. Users can start reviews, comment inline, and submit feedback all from within the GitHub pane, with additional improvements such as easier navigation from diff to editor view, various bug fixes, and the use of GraphQL instead of REST for updates. The team is actively seeking feedback on how users communicate in pull requests and utilize GitHub.com, encouraging input via Twitter or their tracking issue to further refine and support user workflows.

GitHub has introduced new tools to help maintainers create healthier open-source communities by enhancing comment moderation, securing repository namespaces, and refining pull request processes. These tools include the ability to minimize comments that do not contribute positively to discussions, effectively hiding them while still allowing users to view them if desired. Additionally, the retirement of repository namespaces for popular projects prevents the misuse of names after a maintainer account is deleted or renamed, reducing the risk of downloading unsafe packages. To further streamline contributions, GitHub now restricts pull requests from unaffiliated contributors unless specific conditions are met, thus reducing noise and ensuring that only relevant changes are submitted. These efforts are geared towards making open-source projects on GitHub safer and more productive, supporting the growth of inclusive and thriving communities.

A group of technology companies has committed to a unified set of cybersecurity principles as part of a broader effort to enhance global internet security by joining the Cybersecurity Tech Accord. These principles focus on protecting users and customers, opposing cyberattacks on innocent parties, empowering stakeholders to improve cybersecurity measures, and fostering partnerships across the industry. The initiative emphasizes collaboration with engineers, researchers, policymakers, and others to address fundamental vulnerabilities in internet infrastructure, which are increasingly being exploited for cyberattacks, sometimes by governments. The commitment includes embedding security into software development, participating in bug bounty programs, and advocating for policies that bolster internet security while resisting those that could weaken it. The companies involved urge others to join in these efforts and call on governments to safeguard civilians from cyber threats.

March was marked by a series of significant software releases, including several reaching their 1.0 milestone, highlighting advancements in open-source projects. Fastify 1.0 enhanced its Node.js web framework with long-term support and security commitments, while impress.js 1.0 introduced a plugin architecture for creating presentations using HTML and CSS. OpenPGP.js 3.0 improved performance and cryptography features, and DBeaver 5.0 expanded its capabilities as a universal SQL client. Legit 1.0 offered new options for simplifying Git commands, and Plyr 3.0 underwent a substantial rewrite for better video player performance. Pell 1.0 streamlined its WYSIWYG text editor, MJML 4.0 refined email design frameworks, Workbox 3.0 enhanced Progressive Web Apps development, and Rough.js 2.0 improved drawing functionalities. These updates reflect a thriving ecosystem of tools that cater to various development needs, demonstrating the dynamic nature of open-source innovation.

Since 2014, GitHub has been publishing transparency reports to provide insight into the legal and support team's activities, specifically focusing on disclosure and takedown requests. The report highlights two main types of legal requests: disclosures, which include subpoenas, court orders, and search warrants often related to national security, and takedowns, particularly those under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). In 2016, GitHub experienced a significant rise in both DMCA takedown notices and user data requests, with 34 requests for user data, a sharp increase from 12 in 2015, and a notable quadrupling of gag orders, which prevent user notification. The report emphasizes GitHub's commitment to transparency by publishing DMCA notices and government takedown requests publicly, while also noting the challenges in sharing detailed information about national security requests due to legal restrictions. Additionally, the report mentions a new process called "reversals," which allows for the restoration of content if a DMCA notice is found to be invalid, reflecting GitHub's efforts to balance compliance with legal requests and community transparency.

Patchwork is hosting an event in Okayama, Japan, aimed at beginners in Git and GitHub, as well as mentors eager to assist others in learning these tools. Scheduled for May 11, 2018, at the wheelchair-accessible 岡山国際交流センター, the event promises a casual, hands-on workshop environment where attendees can learn at their own pace with the support of community mentors. Participants will have access to the git-it-electron app for learning modules, and they are encouraged to download it prior to the event due to limited internet speed at the venue. The event offers the opportunity to engage with the open-source community, with the promise of leaving with a merged pull request and increased confidence. Mentors will have a chance to guide newcomers, and all attendees can enjoy food and refreshments while making new connections. Attendees need to RSVP, ensure they have a GitHub account, and register for venue wifi access in advance.

Figma's new platform has been enthusiastically adopted by GitHub's Design Systems Team to streamline the workflow for their SVG icon library, Octicons. Previously, the process of contributing to Octicons was complex and limited by macOS-specific software requirements, Git expertise, and prior repository setup, making it challenging for contributors. By migrating to Figma, they have eliminated these barriers, making it easier for contributors to engage using platform-agnostic tools and automate tasks through Figma's API. Continuous integration (CI) is used to export icons and distribute library versions, while tools like Probot automate task checks on GitHub by comparing changes in pull requests with Figma's source URL. The team is particularly excited about Figma’s upcoming write API, which will enhance their ability to maintain and distribute their component library in code, enabling seamless updates for the GitHub Product Design Team to use in prototypes.

ChickTech is hosting a happy hour and networking event at The Duce in Phoenix on Wednesday, April 11, from 6 to 9 pm, in conjunction with the ACT-W National Conference. This event aims to bring together conference attendees and the Phoenix tech community, providing an opportunity for networking with organizations and leaders in the field. The ACT-W conference focuses on accelerating the careers of women in technology and fostering the development of women leaders across all company levels. The event is a part of efforts to support and enhance the presence of women in the tech industry.

Ten years ago, GitHub was launched with the goal of connecting developers and simplifying collaboration on projects using Git, and despite its evolution as a company and platform, its core purpose remains unchanged. GitHub's success is attributed to its vibrant community, which has utilized the platform to share, learn, and innovate, resulting in countless projects from one-line programs to extensive frameworks. The platform has played a significant role in fostering the open-source community and encouraging businesses to invest in shared code, and as GitHub reflects on its past decade, it acknowledges the users who have shaped the software landscape. Looking to the future, GitHub is committed to supporting its community's continued innovation and evolution in software development, expressing gratitude for the contributions that have defined the platform's journey and anticipating the next milestones.

Recent enhancements to the GitHub platform aim to streamline app development and integration, featuring quicker Marketplace onboarding and improvements to the GraphQL API. Developers can now self-serve to list their apps on GitHub Marketplace, expediting the setup process. Additionally, the platform has introduced a new team discussions feature via the GraphQL API, employing a preview period previously used for the REST API to manage changes effectively. A new documentation page provides insights into upcoming GraphQL schema changes, sorted by date to help developers prepare for updates. These improvements reflect GitHub's commitment to providing a seamless integration experience and keeping developers informed of potential changes, while minimizing disruption.

Git 2.17.0 introduces several enhancements and bug fixes contributed by over 60 contributors, with notable features from recent versions. The update includes a --color-moved option in Git v2.15 to help visualize code movements in diffs by coloring moved lines, and an fsmonitor hook in v2.16 that utilizes tools like watchman to reduce unnecessary disk reads by only checking changed files. Enhanced search capabilities are introduced, including a --find-object option for tracing object history and a --function-context option for displaying surrounding function context during searches. Other improvements involve optimizing the diff algorithm, enhancing Git's filtering protocol, supporting new regular expression libraries, and simplifying the handling of Git rebase patches and commit message trailers. Additionally, the transition from the SHA-1 algorithm continues, and various minor usability enhancements, such as the ability to renormalize files and improved pager behavior for certain commands, are included.