Previously, when creating a fork all branches from the parent repository were copied to the new fork repository. There are several scenarios where this is unneeded, such as contributing to open-source projects. When all branches are copied, it could result in slow repo cloning and unnecessary disk usage. With this new feature, only the default branch is copied; no other branches or tags. This may result in faster clones because only reachable objects will be pulled down.
If you want to copy additional branches from the parent repository, you can do so from the Branches page.
GitHub Advanced Security customers can now sort and filter their list of custom patterns at the repository, organization, and enterprise levels. This upgrade to the experience supports admins who need to manage dozens, or hundreds, of custom patterns.
Learn more about custom patterns for GitHub Advanced Security
You can now link your GitHub and Twitter accounts with your npm account using an official OAuth integration with these services. Prior to this, GitHub and Twitter account linking used a plain text field which was not verified or validated.
The new experience creates a verified link, making it possible for developers to audit identities and trust that an account is who they claim they are. Verified linking also significantly improves our ability to recover your npm account in case you are not able to login into anymore.
Legacy data will no longer be shown on public npm profiles, and the data can no longer be set via the npm CLI. Legacy data will still be retained in your private profile until a verified link has been made and can be used for account recovery purposes.
Learn more about GitHub and Twitter account linking from our documentation page: “managing user account profile settings from the web“