GitHub Copilot is now available to any developer willing to spend $10/month, although some people will still be able to use it for free. There is already backlash on the ethics of launching a paid product trained on free open source code and the issue of the license used by the code suggested.
In browser news, we find out what's new on the web platform in June and we welcome Firefox 102 and Safari Technology Preview 148.
The releases of the week include Next.js v12.2.0, Vue 2.7, and more. And there is a nice set of fresh Front End Resources for you to use.
GitHub Copilot goes commercial (and what it can mean for open-source software)
GitHub announced that Copilot, their "AI pair programmer", is now "generally available to all developers". For a price. It will cost $10/month, although it's free for some developers.
There is already backlash to this move. Software Freedom Conservancy, a not-for-profit organization that provides support and legal services for open-source software projects, has called for the community to ditch GitHub.
The main issue is that GitHub Copilot is a for-profit service built and trained on countless open-source projects. Another one is that Copilot makes no mention of any licensing affecting the suggested code.
Copilot is not alone in the market. Recently Amazon has launched a similar service named CodeWhisperer. Unlike Copilot though, CodeWhisperer highlights the license that affects the suggested code. There is even the option to select which sources to use. We'll see if all this pressure will cause GitHub to make changes to Copilot.
Browser news
Rachel Andrew provides the June update on changes to the web platform:
Firefox
Firefox 102 is rolling out. New features include the options to disable the automatic opening of the download panel and to mitigate query tracking in Enhanced Tracking Protection strict mode.
WebKit
Safari Technology Preview 148 is out as well, bringing a long list of fine-tuning, fixes, and improvements.
Software updates and releases
- billboard.js 3.5 - Re-usable, easy interface JavaScript chart library based on D3.js
- D3 v7.5.0 - Bring data to life with SVG, Canvas and HTML
- deck.gl v8.8.0 - WebGL2 powered visualization framework
- fastify v4.2.0 - Fast and low overhead web framework, for Node.js
- Fresh 1.0 - a new full stack web framework for Deno
- neovis.js 2.0.0 - Graph visualizations in the browser with data from Neo4j
- Next.js v12.2.0 - The React Framework
- ng2-charts v3.1.0 - Beautiful charts for Angular based on Chart.js
- Playwright v1.23.0 - a framework for Web Testing and Automation.
- Prisma 4.0.0 - Next-generation ORM for Node.js and TypeScript
- Puppeteer v15.3.0 - Headless Chrome Node.js API
- Serverless Express v4.9.0 - Run Node.js web applications and APIs on AWS serverless functions
- trim-lines 3.0.0 - Remove spaces and tabs around line-breaks
- v8n v1.5.0 - a JavaScript fluent validation library
- Vue 2.7 - a JavaScript framework for building UI on the web.
- Vue InstantSearch v4.4.0 - Algolia components for building search UIs with Vue.js
Front End Resources
- 3D Icons - Beautifully crafted open source 3D icons
- Allinone.tools - A single destination for all your needs
- Benjamin Moore Paints as CSS Colours - Benjamin Moore Paints as CSS Colours
- BlobsIcons - A free set of colorful icons in two styles.
- Can I DevTools? - It is like @CanIUse, but for the browser devtools
- Category Colors - Color palettes generator for data visualization
- Copy Book - A collection of commonly used texts
- CSS.gg - Open-source CSS, SVG and Figma UI Icons
- CSS Generators - A wide range of CSS Generators
- Eva Icons - Open Source icons for common actions and items
- Flag Icons - A curated collection of all country flags
- Hexwords - Why bother with a random green when you can choose to be a #BADA55!
- MingCute Icon - Carefully Designed Icon Library
- SVG Spinners - A collection of 24 x 24 dp animated SVG spinners!
- Toolkit by Addy Codes - Curated tools and resources for people who make websites
There's more where that came from. Explore the rest of the Front End Resource collection.
Wrapping things up
Ukraine is still suffering from the Russian invasion - if you are looking for ways to help, please check Smashing Magazine's article We All Are Ukraine 🇺🇦 or get in touch with your trusted charity.
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That's all I have for this issue. Have a great and productive week, keep yourselves safe, spend as much time as possible with your loved ones, and I will see you again next time!