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Is the “whatcable” GitHub repository legit?
Can someone confirm if the following website is legit? https://github.com/darrylmorley/whatcable Basically, I want to check if a USB-C to USB-C adapter supports 240W. AI suggested me to use a free app called "whatcable" to test if it has the E-Marker feature. Thanks!
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I mean it has 1.9k stars so I would assume so. But there have been issues with star botting lately, so it's hard to tell. I would look at other forums, etc for the mention of it to see what other users are saying. It looks fine to me and I would not worry too much about it.
Thanks. I remember there is this Light forum, not sure if it is Reddit, perhaps I can post there to ask. Thanks. Not sure if this is being overly precautious, I only just want to check if the adapter supports 240W. I maybe just want to save further trouble and just install it. Hmmmmmmm
Stars to Forks Ratio is off, like way off. For 2k stars I would expect at least a 100 forks if not a lot more. Could very well be legit tbh and I'm just reading too much into it https://awesomeagents.ai/news/github-fake-stars-investigation/ FYI.
I will give it a few days before testing the app. Thanks
Good catch, what OP is writing here makes no sense either. Also if the repo is up for few hours there’s no way it appears in AI suggestions. This is a place to share mac apps so if that’s a mac app makes no sense to do masked ads.
Hi, Can you clarify what it is that I wrote that does not make sense? Is there something you are implying? Basically, I asked in Google and AI recommended WhatCable to test for the Emarker. So I posted here to ask see if it is safe.
Few quick checks beyond stars: scroll the commit history and see if it looks like genuine dev work (mix of types, real messages, occasional fixes from contributors) vs the "initial commit" + 30 polish commits pattern that AI clones leave behind. Then check the dev's other repos to see if they have a track record. Stars can be botted, commit history is harder to fake.
Thanks so much for the advice. I am definitely a noob and not very familiar with github, so not quite sure how to tell if it's a bot or not. WIll take some time going through your advice and will use AI to help me understand better. Thanks again
One quick test you don't need GitHub knowledge for: click the repo's "Issues" tab. Real software has actual users reporting bugs and asking questions. AI clones usually have either zero issues or generic-sounding ones with no back-and-forth.
Legit, tested it last week. Native Swift app, fully local, no tracking. VirusTotal clean. Does exactly what it says – reads e-marker data straight from IOKit Only thing – Apple Silicon only, won't work on Intel macs
Hi. Thanks. From your results it looks like it is pretty straightforward to interpreate the results. But not sure if it will give me the results for the adapter. WIll be testing it in a couple of day.
Why don’t you read the specs of the adapter instead?
I want to test and verify it. Likewise, recently when I subscribe to 5Gbps boardband, the technician will test and show me, and I will also run a speed test myself to verify that I am getting my subscribed speed.
looks legit enough to inspect, but i wouldnt trust it just because AI suggested it build from source if possible and for 240W id still confirm with the specs or a USB C tester
I do not know hoe to build from souce. I will proberly just install to test.
It's my app, yes it's legit. The Github stats are genuine and many people have been finding the app useful. Hope you find it useful too!
Hi, does it check if the USB-C to USB-C adapter has an e-marker and is capable of 24OW? Thanks
Idk , it was posted on hackernews two days ago and gained 1.9k istars n a few days
In case anyone was wondering here is the discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47972511
Thanks. I will go through them to see if it is safe.
Apprently it seems to works and there were no red flags. I am suprise that this only appear 4 days ago. But I just realised it indicate testing of the cable. I am actually testing adapter, not sure if it can help in my case , does it even distingush. Anyway thanks alot for that link. I feel pretty safe to install to test.
This sounds such like a hidden ad, makes no sense what the OP is writing
It has 2K stars, found a HackerNews post on it if you want to read more. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47972511
I haven’t looked at the repo, but I will argue that the cable need to be connected to something in the other end, to reveal what options the cable have. For example, If only CC1 and not CC2 is in a cable, then this can only be determined by some sort of active test.
nice app but pro price are little high for this app.