Articles about GitHub

Microsoft has announced that it has plans to “truly open sourcing” WinUI, the user interface framework that is embedded in Windows. Although no specific timeframe has been mentioned, the company is “actively working toward it”.

Pointing out that making the WinUI repository open source is not just a “flip-the-switch moment” but a “deliberate process”, Microsoft lead software engineer Beth Pan says that the process is a complicated one. This is part of the reason for not being willing to commit to a specific end date for any particular milestone.

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Microsoft Build is usually about cutting edge development, but sometimes there are nods to the past. And this is precisely what is happening with the company’s new text editor.

Named -- uninspiringly -- Edit, this text editor is not only open-source, but it is a command line tool. While clearly not something that will be of interest to the majority of Windows 11 users, it is something that has strong developer appeal.

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Well, it finally happened, folks. Microsoft has open-sourced the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), giving developers full access to its code on GitHub! Yes, after nearly a decade of closed development and repeated requests from the community, the company has handed over the keys -- inviting coders to inspect, improve, and contribute to the very core of how Linux runs on Windows.

This isn’t some half-baked gesture, either. Microsoft has released the core WSL package (the components that power WSL 2) under an open source license. This includes command-line tools like wsl.exe, background services, init processes, networking daemons, and the Plan9-based file sharing system. You can now build WSL from source, fork it, or pitch in directly on GitHub.

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There’s a weird divide in the AI world these days. While Grok keeps making headlines for all the wrong reasons, OpenAI is pushing ahead with features that actually seem useful for developers. The newest one is called Codex, and it’s built right into ChatGPT for anyone with a Pro, Team, or Enterprise account. Sorry, Plus users.

Codex doesn’t just suggest code, it operates almost like a teammate that can jump into your repository, set up its own isolated workspace, and get to work on whatever you ask. Whether you need a bug fixed, a question answered, or a feature built, Codex can handle it. When it’s done, you get a real code commit and a detailed log showing every step the AI took. How cool is that?

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xAI is under fire after it revealed an employee tampered with Grok, its controversial AI bot on X, forcing it to make a statement about the South African genocide situation. According to xAI, the incident happened on May 14 at around 3:15 AM PST. An employee made an unauthorized change to Grok’s prompt, instructing it to deliver a predetermined answer on a sensitive political issue. This goes against the company’s stated values and policies.

The company admits the prompt change somehow skipped its normal code review process. xAI now says it’s tightening up its procedures. From now on, every Grok system prompt will be published publicly on GitHub. You can access them here. Anyone can look at them and even give feedback. xAI wants this transparency to help win back some trust in Grok as a so-called truth-seeking AI.

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Showing that it is not just Windows 11 that has issues with updates, Offensive Security has issued a warning that Kali Linux updates are likely to fail “in the coming days”.

The Linux distro has proved an important tool in penetration testing, acting as a valuable security tool for many users. The team behind Kali Linux says that “pretty much every Kali system out there will fail to update”, and it bears full responsibility: “This is not only you, this is for everyone, and this is entirely our fault”. But there is a solution.

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Brave just made a move that should make privacy enthusiasts pretty happy. The company has officially open sourced Cookiecrumbler, a tool designed to automatically detect and help block those obnoxious cookie consent banners you see across the Web. These pop-ups are not only annoying but, according to research, often track users even when they click reject. Cookiecrumbler aims to stop that nonsense while avoiding the headaches that can come with sloppy blocking rules.

Lately, Brave has been my go-to web browser. It’s open source, cross-platform, and runs beautifully on Linux, which I appreciate as a Linux fan. Even better, it handles ad-blocking on iOS -- something many other browsers don’t offer. And perhaps most importantly, it does all of this without relying on Google.

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After years of internal use, Ubisoft has open-sourced Chroma -- a real-time colorblind simulation tool. This accessibility software is designed to help developers better serve the 300 million people around the world who live with color vision deficiencies.

Originally developed in 2021 by Ubisoft’s Quality Control team in India, Chroma allows developers to simulate how a game looks to people with various forms of colorblindness -- all without slowing down performance. It works on both single- and dual-screen setups, runs with customizable overlays, and responds to hotkeys for easy toggling during gameplay.

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A new report shows 70 percent of secrets leaked in 2022 remain active today, creating an expanding attack surface that grows more dangerous with each passing day.

The study from GitGuardian also reveals a 25 percent increase in leaked secrets year-on-year, with 23.8 million new credentials detected on public GitHub in 2024 alone.

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For many users, Windows 10 and 11 feel like missed opportunities in design evolution. The look is functional but unremarkable, dominated by flat icons and muted colors that lack character or charm. While simplicity can be effective, the current design comes across as a bit sterile, offering little of the warmth or personality that once defined Windows. The result is an OS that sadly feels more clinical than engaging.

Seelen UI is a free tool that reimagines what a Windows desktop can be, giving users the tools to break free from this monotony. With an array of customization features designed to prioritize both style and practicality, it allows users to craft a unique workspace.

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It was Einstein who said, “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Indicative of insanity or not, repeating the same actions over and over is what Microsoft suggests as a solution to a Windows 10 issue.

A few days ago, the company acknowledged a problem that means users might be unable to update or uninstall packaged apps on Windows 10. The issue stems from the WinAppSDK 1.6.2 package and results in a 0x80073CFA error. There is more than one fix, one of which is odd.

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In Programming with GitHub Copilot, veteran software developer and GitHub community hero Kurt Dowswell delivers an insightful and hands-on exploration of GitHub's powerful, new AI coding assistant, Copilot. In the book, you'll discover how to use the tool's capabilities to push the boundaries of what you thought was possible in programming.

Even if you've used autocomplete tools -- like VS Code's TabNine extension -- before, you'll be floored by GitHub Copilot's potential to transform the way you code.

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Winamp was a beloved media player for tech fans of a certain age, and there was much excitement when the software was made open source. At least it was sort of open source; restrictions on use were such that many people questioned the validity of labelling it as such when it appeared on GitHub less than a month ago.

But all of a sudden the source code is no longer available. Llama Group has now deleted the GitHub repository where the code had been published and, while there has been no official announcement made, there is speculation that the deletion came because of licensing issues with bundled codecs.

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There can be few computer enthusiasts of a certain age who do not remember with some fondness Winamp -- one of the first popular MP3 applications, and one famed for “whippin’ the llama’s ass”.

Having been open sourced earlier in the year, the source code for the iconic software has now been published to GitHub. The team behind the player is looking for help from developers to, “improve and modernize the player to meet current user needs”.

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Check Point Research has uncovered a network of GitHub accounts, dubbed the "Stargazers Ghost Network," that distributes malware via phishing repositories. This sophisticated operation, tracked under the name "Stargazer Goblin," acts as a Distribution as a Service (DaaS) model, allowing threat actors to share malicious links and software.

The network consists of over 3,000 active accounts that perform activities such as starring, forking, and subscribing to malicious repositories to make them appear legitimate. This tactic helps lure victims into downloading malware. The types of malware distributed include Atlantida Stealer, Rhadamanthys, RisePro, Lumma Stealer, and RedLine.

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