MindByte Issue #119: From C# 14 to SQL Spring Cleaning

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Welcome back, tech enthusiasts!

A new week, a new edition packed with sharp insights and practical updates. From handling your open source legacy to fine-tuning GitHub usage, refreshing your SQL Server, and decoding what’s coming in C# 14 — there’s a lot worth your attention this time.

Highlights include:

  • 🧹 How to sunset open source projects without burning bridges

  • 🔒 GitHub clamps down on unauthenticated API access

  • 💬 Debunking common excuses not to use Copilot

  • 🧽 Spring cleaning your SQL Server (literally)

  • 🧠 Clearer, more useful error messages

  • 🌌 The Two Generals’ Problem meets Star Wars

  • 📊 A closer look at how commitment discounts show up in FOCUS

  • 🧱 What extension members mean for C#

  • 🔍 A real-world performance mystery solved by the Duende team

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GitHub Digest

Been there, done that; I had created, in 2014, a sink for Serilog to send log data to Elastic. It had a nice number of downloads and usage, but it was very hard for me to maintain this repo. I had to close it down last year, because sometimes you need to sunset these projects.

In the latest blog by GitHub you can find guidance on sunsetting open source projects.

Dos and don’ts when sunsetting open source projects

Three maintainers share their tips for gracefully sunsetting open source projects.

github.blog/open-source/maintainers/dos-and-donts-when-sunsetting-open-source-projects

GitHub has a very extensive API, allowing you to access all kinds of information. You can query it without being authenticated, but you will run into rate limits; the amount of calls you are allowed to do in a specific timeframe.

However, by allowing unauthenticated calls, it is hard to guard against misuse. So it is not strange that the rates will be lowered for not authenticated calls. So do make sure you are logged in, in order to get the higher rates.

Updated rate limits for unauthenticated requests - GitHub Changelog

To provide a secure and dependable experience on GitHub, we’re rolling out updates to rate limits for requests made without authentication. These changes will apply to operations like cloning repositories…

github.blog/changelog/2025-05-08-updated-rate-limits-for-unauthenticated-requests

Coding Corner

Struggling to get your colleagues to use Copilot? Then this post provides three misconceptions and their response to counter them.

GitHub Copilot–3 misconceptions why people don’t use it

As more as I’m motivating my teams to adopt and integrate GitHub Copilot in their development processes, the more I get push back with reaso...

bartwullems.blogspot.com/2025/04/github-copilot3-misconceptions-why.html

Sometimes your SQL server needs a spring cleaning as well. Brent Ozar gives you the tips to optimize and clear your server.

Your SQL Server Needs Spring Cleaning, Too. - Brent Ozar Unlimited®

First things first: pick up that filthy keyboard, take it over to the trash can, turn it upside down, and give it a good, vigorous shake. Next, go to your biggest SQL Server and run: [crayon-68211e5a9f041312441017/] This will give you an inventory of all of the objects in your databases, ordered from biggest to smallest....

www.brentozar.com/archive/2025/04/your-sql-server-needs-spring-cleaning-too

Some obvious tips, but still a good overview on how to write error message that are actually useful.

How to write error messages that actually help users rather than frustrate them

One of the most consistently neglected parts of today’s user experiences is our handling of errors. We’re so busy designing the happy paths through our products that we often forget to give the same care and attention to the times when things will go wrong

piccalil.li/blog/how-to-write-error-messages-that-actually-help-users-rather-than-frustrate-them

The famous two generals problem, this time as a Star Wars story. Regardless, it is a problem with distributed systems, so what is the solution?

It's a Trap! The Two Generals' Problem

In distributed systems, coordination is hard—really hard—especially when both parties depend on mutual confirmation to proceed, but there’s no guarantee their messages will arrive. This classic…

particular.net/blog/two-generals

Azure Updates & Insights

A lot of details on how commitments discounts (Reserved Instances or Saving Plans) are represented in FOCUS.

Learning FOCUS

Commitment discounts

techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/finopsblog/learning-focus-commitment-discounts/4411405

.NET Nook

Some new keywords will come up in C# 14; extension members. Yes, you already have extension methods, but this extends (pun intended) it even more.

C# 14 - Exploring extension members - .NET Blog

C# 14 introduces extension members. See how the `extension` syntax offers flexibility for extension authors and continuity for developers using extensions

devblogs.microsoft.com/dotnet/csharp-exploring-extension-members

A very extensive insight in the research done by the team at Duende when there was a bug reported in a specific version of their software causing it to slow down substantially. But was it really their code that was the culprit?

Duende Software Blog

We help companies using .NET to build identity and access control solutions for modern applications.

blog.duendesoftware.com/posts/20250506-microsoft-azure-sql-and-entity-framework-core-performance-issues-and-solution

Closing Thoughts

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