Google & Microsoft's Hidden Free Software

Summary

In this video, the creator showcases various hidden software tools developed by big tech companies like Microsoft and Google. Highlighting lesser-known tools such as a Chrome extension for extracting links from webpages, the video introduces a browser-based tool designed to explore GitHub repositories and discover new projects. The creator emphasizes the importance of finding underrated, useful software that flies under the radar, and demonstrates how to filter and sort repositories based on creation date and content. The video also discusses the privacy service DeleteMe, which helps users remove personal data from the web.

Takeaways

• 😀 Big tech companies like Microsoft and Google create many hidden software tools that go unnoticed by most people.
• 😀 GitHub repositories from companies like Microsoft and Google contain thousands of projects, some of which are lesser-known but useful.
• 😀 Link Diver, a Chrome extension by Google, extracts all clickable links on a webpage and allows users to filter, find their location, and more.
• 😀 The speaker created a browser-based tool for finding and exploring lesser-known software projects on GitHub.
• 😀 GitHub repositories can be difficult to navigate, especially for discovering new or lesser-known projects, which is why the speaker created a tool to help.
• 😀 The speaker's browser tools fetch repositories from a tech company's GitHub account and allow filtering by various criteria such as project age and language.
• 😀 Users can sort repositories by 'latest created' to discover new projects that have not yet gained widespread attention.
• 😀 You can filter GitHub repositories by programming languages, such as C, C#, and C++, to narrow down to compiled language projects.
• 😀 The speaker emphasizes filtering repositories for 'tools' and 'utilities' to find useful software applications.
• 😀 The speaker's tool also allows users to find official GitHub accounts from companies that may not be centrally listed, helping users discover hidden teams or projects.
• 😀 A sponsored segment promotes DeleteMe, a service for removing personal data from the web, which helps users protect their privacy from data brokers and malicious attacks.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the tools created by big tech companies like Microsoft and Google on GitHub?

The tools created by big tech companies on GitHub are often hidden gems that provide valuable functionality, usually aimed at power users. These include various software utilities and projects, which may not get widespread attention but can be highly useful for specific tasks.

What does the Chrome extension 'Link Diver' do?

'Link Diver' is a Chrome extension made by Google that extracts all clickable links on a webpage and presents them as a list. Users can filter these links, locate them on the page, and perform other actions like checking if they are visible.

Why is it difficult to find lesser-known repositories on GitHub?

Finding lesser-known repositories on GitHub is challenging because the GitHub interface only displays a limited number of repositories at a time. Sorting by stars usually shows popular repositories, and there is no straightforward way to discover newly created repositories.

What two tools did the speaker create to help users explore GitHub repositories?

The speaker created two browser-based tools that run locally: one tool fetches all repositories for an account (e.g., Microsoft or Google) and allows filtering, while the other helps users find other official GitHub accounts from these companies that might not be centrally listed.

How does the GitHub Repo Explorer tool work?

The GitHub Repo Explorer allows users to fetch and sift through repositories from a specific GitHub account. It enables sorting by newly created repositories and filtering by languages or other criteria, helping users find lesser-known tools and projects.

What new feature was added to the GitHub Repo Explorer tool after the original video was recorded?

A new feature was added to the GitHub Repo Explorer that allows users to see which repositories have releases, including those with .exe files attached, making it easier to find tools that can actually be used and run.

What is the importance of filtering repositories by the language in the GitHub Repo Explorer?

Filtering repositories by language helps users narrow down results to specific programming languages like C, C#, or C++, making it easier to find useful tools and projects that are compatible with certain coding environments.

How can users find other official GitHub accounts from companies like Google?

Users can find other official GitHub accounts from companies like Google by using a tool that searches for accounts associated with a parent organization. The tool lists these accounts, and users can check their domain verification and shared members to verify their legitimacy.

What is the 'verified' column in the GitHub account search tool?

The 'verified' column in the GitHub account search tool indicates whether an account's domain is officially verified by the parent company. Verified domains, such as 'developers.google.com', provide assurance that the account is genuinely owned by the company.

What functionality does the 'shared members' tool offer when searching for GitHub accounts?

The 'shared members' tool compares the members of a GitHub account with those of the parent company, helping users determine whether an account is officially associated with the company. If members overlap with the parent organization, it's a strong indicator of legitimacy.

How can users explore hidden gems from GitHub repositories of companies like Google or Microsoft?

Users can explore hidden gems by using tools that filter repositories by recent creation, language, or specific terms like 'tool' or 'utility'. These filters help uncover lesser-known but potentially useful repositories from large organizations like Google and Microsoft.