May 16, 2023

GitHub just released a quicker code search capability, with the goal of increasing developer productivity. However, consumer unhappiness with the accompanying interface modification and search choices has resulted in a desire for a return to the prior version.

The new search experience has been met with widespread criticism on GitHub’s Community discussion board. One frustrated user, Mort666, indicated a wish to leave GitHub entirely, citing the poorly designed user interface and difficulty to do tasks swiftly.

CameronEnglish, another user, bemoaned the slow and unpleasant reading experience caused by the modifications, noting that the new code search tool was of no help to them. While Shortnamesalex requested the ability to revert to the previous user interface, noting several concerns with the new one, including cramped and uneven layout, eye-searing font code, and difficulty accessing functionality.

Furthermore, developers have found various issues, such as the fact that it now requires multiple steps to determine when code was published owing to changes in code indexing. Time-based sorting is no longer possible, and the “recently updated” functionality is broken. Search results are confined to the default branch and are limited to five pages, omitting additional branches.

The query syntax has also been changed, and color-coded diffs are presently unavailable. Several display problems have been reported, some of which have been addressed. Additionally, difficulties with Makefiles, CTRL-F text searches, and the crowded and difficult-to-use UI on iOS and Linux platforms have been reported.

GitHub has recognized user dissatisfaction, stating that they are actively resolving community input.

The sources for this piece include an article in TheRegister.