Last year, Microsoft acquired GitHub in a $7.5 billion acquisition, aiming to continue its long tradition of supporting developers, and perhaps steer them towards Microsoft Azure services in the process. Today Microsoft added to its GitHub stable, acquiring Pull Panda for an undisclosed sum and making the tools free. Users of the premium version of the service will retain full support, but the company plans to eventually integrate the tools into GitHub.
PullPanda helps “teams create more efficient and effective code review workflows on GitHub,” according to a post on the GitHub blog (via Mary Jo Foley). For teams, large or small, using GitHub, pull requests (actions to work on, manage, or deploy code), can “pile up and fall through the cracks.” PullPanda helps teams manage these requests in three ways:
- Pull Reminders: Get a nudge in Slack when a collaborator needs your review. Automatic reminders ensure that pull requests never slip through the cracks.
- Pull Analytics: From wait times to top contributors, get real-time insight into the effectiveness of your team’s process. Then make data-driven improvements that create a more transparent and accountable culture.
- Pull Assigner: Automatically distribute code across your team, so no one gets overloaded and knowledge gets spread around.
All of the tools are available now on GitHub for free, included in the Pull Panda app. Are you a GitHub user? Will PullPanda help your workflow? Let us know in the comments below.
Further reading: Acquisitions, GitHub
