Github's new look: The Code Tab | Hacker News Reader

Github's new look: The Code Tab

github.com

127 pointslatch23 comments

I like it. But...

The download button is a step backwards. First, I had to search (cmd-f) to find it. There's plenty of room under "stats & graph" for a more distinct button. Secondly, the tab it brings you to makes it look like there's nothing to download. Look at:

https://github.com/mongodb/mongo/downloads

The text makes it seem like an error almost..then I saw the buttons.

I'm happy they obscured it. I always thought it was weird that it was so prominent. For most coders, using github to code (not visitors or downloaders), this big download button was visual cruft.

If your primary goal is to make downloading a zipped copy of your application easy, then sending your visitors/downloaders to a GitHub project page is probably not the best solution.

Note the new ZIP button next to the Git URLs.

The link placement is still a step backwards when there are actual files uploaded, e.g. binary builds. And I would argue that the new ZIP button doesn't make it easier for newcomers to find those ZIP builds. I wish there was a way to make downloads really obvious for those projects that rely on them, this is still something I miss from Google Code.

Really happy that they've made branch switching easier. It was a pain in the previous version.

I really like it. As a github newbie I think the new nav bar layout is much cleaner, especially the commits/branches section. Well done.

Maybe I'm getting old, but could the numbers in that new nav bar be any smaller?

I used to be able to tell how many open issues there were without squinting.

The new nav bar seems out of place with the rest of the design. This might just be me, since I've used GitHub for a few years now, and I'll get used to it but maybe this is leading to more changes in the future. I, for one, welcome our new cleaner design overlords.

No, I’m completely with you. I’m hoping for greater consistency soon, e.g., no more blue-on-hover buttons.

Looks awesome! Does the "open in mac" button show up even if you don't have gh for mac installed?

I'm not sure if this is what you mean, but here's what I've found: If you install GH for Mac on any machine, the "Clone in Mac" button shows up afterwards on all machines, no matter where you login from. So in that sense, you can see the button, even if you don't locally have the app installed. (I actually just sent a support request to see if this could change.)

Has that "Search source code..." input always been there? I sure needed it in the past, and somehow never saw it until now.

I assume you're basing this off the screenshot. The "Search source code" input is only available in private repos. Since kneath/resque is a public repo, apparently one benefit of working at Github is getting that input on all repos, whether public or private.

Where is this?

Where is the 'search this repo' button/field?

As much of a fan of Github that I am, their UX has always been confusing and now that added yet another layer of complex navigation to the page.

They now have a total of seven horizontal navigation areas of which some are mixed in with actionable items, along with the independent actionable items spread within the navigation layers and content:

1. User Nav 2. Github nav and search 3. Breadcrumbs and forking action/info 4. The new code navigation bar 5. Files/Commits/branches nav 6. Main footer 7. Informational footer

All of that in addition to the actual project content blocks, message display and project byline.

imo, they could benefit from cutting back from all navigation that is not pertinent to the project, merge the Github nav with the main and informational footers, consolidate actionable items and non-code content (that new embedded message bar) and lose some of the cruft. Yes, it's a tool for engineers, but it's also a platform for learning and many people don't really need every single url/action in the Github universe manifested on every single project page.

Have you guys used the new interface? It sounds like you're coming up with imaginary solutions that are already deployed. The nav does shrink up on many pages, and every single update we've pushed out over the past 2 years has brought the administrative chrome smaller and the source code up

I'm happy to provide older screenshots for reference if you don't believe me :) In a way it makes me really happy — people see more white space and assume they've lost useful real estate. But the truth is they got more space and more real estate.

(I'm talking without any real analytics here; hopefully you took them into consideration. Also, I'm not comparing the cli or the GitHub for Mac app. And one more thing: I wasn't there when this app was a blank slate and I'm not trying to beat you up on the UX, but it's time to count clicks and reassess what needs to really be there.)

I think you're talking about the visual design and layout of the page. That's a different ball of wax from the overall UX and doesn't carry equal weight, so white space is not so much a concern of mine as I don't fixate on pixel spacing enough to throw a fit about it. The design and the layout have always evoked an immediate mental map based on the three or four everyday functions that I need in order to complete my tasks on the page, and I'm usually competent enough to complete my actions and end my interaction on the main project page in short order. The basics are there, which is a good thing, and the visual design itself is competent.

What bothers me is the multitude of mostly unrelated navigation systems that are dispersed about the page with what appears to be a need to display all, along with repetitive links strewn about. It suggests an underlying logic that if an entity exists, it must be displayed. And displayed it all is in a very unorganized fashion.

I would suggest trimming the fat and displaying only what the user needs in order to complete their tasks and establishing a clear hierarchical visual representation of global, project and in-page navigation and actions. There are currently five different types of visual displays for navigation in the top third of the main project pages alone: semi tabs, text links, breadcrumbs, full tab buttons, folder tabs. The footers are equally disparate. Not all of the seven nav menus need to be displayed in their entirety nor do they all carry the same weight or deserve their own section of the page. That really needs to be looked at and simplified before it grows even further.

The action buttons are all in a similar recognizable visual format, but they too are also dispersed about the page without any obvious relation to the content or navigation menus around them. For someone who's been using the app for a couple of years, accumulated knowledge would overcome any new layout changes (stop playing with the button placement, please) but to a new user, you're basically throwing the kitchen sink at them and hoping that it all makes sense. It's easy to transition a seasoned developer to Git, but Github is another story.

Again, mine was not a critique of the visual design, but an honest assessment of where the [creeping] overall UX is. Out of simplicity I didn't delve into any of the project subsections or other sections of the website, but my immediate thoughts are to migrate into simplicity and uniformity.

Yes, please use the interface. Again, you're describing solutions that already exist.

This version of the navigation has the least amount of chrome out of any of them, less buttons, less navigation all around.

After reading the comments on the blog post and your inability to address even the most basic of my concerns without invoking my imagination and your chrome, both of which have absolutely nothing to do with what I've written, I think today's improvement was not.

Also, you don't deserve to carry the brunt of the UX discussion on your shoulders in a public forum, as you're obviously not the only party responsible, but your enthusiasm is palpable and I commend you for it.

Perhaps something like this: http://davidcann.com/github-edited.png

I really like this proposal -- all the interactions with the repository in one place.

7 layers of nav is okay if it all makes sense, has good IA and doesn't get in the way of what you do most of the time. Gmail is a good example of this. There is navigation all over the place but what is front and center and most important is your mail - and that's a good thing.

I think the issue that Github has right now is that all their navigation, while useful, pushes the thing I care about most of the time (the source code) nearly 1/2 way down the page. Do I really need to see the git clone URL all day every day? How about the pull request button? Probably not.

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