Tim Cannady

Git

Git Reflection, AKA: "Stop, Collaborate and Listen!"

  • What are the benefits of version control?
Imagine working in a Word document. When you're ready to store changes you click "Save" (Git calls this "commit"). But what happens if you want to return to a prior save point? This feature is typically unavailable for consumer programs, and this is where version control shines. When you're ready to "save" a file in Git, you "commit" the changes. It's akin to saving multiple copies of the same file at each milestone. Furthermore, Git's version control tracks helpful info like what changes were made and memos from the change'ee.

  • How does git help you keep track of changes?
Life isn't a video game (so it seems). Consequentially we benefit from ways to cover our tracks should we fall into the proverbial crocodile-pit (for example a faulty line of code). Keeping track of changes is a way to create save points. Furthermore, this makes things easier for us to collaborate with others, and that means more changes to create awesome code! By tracking changes, new collaborators also get a better understanding of the history of our code, what each version does, etc,

  • Why use GitHub to store your code?
GitHub's value is expansive. It's a place to store and track code. It's a place to show of and find other people's code. It's a place to get help and help other people's code. Furthermore, GitHub's format is conducive for companies with multiple people working on the same data set. And all of this is done in an approachable GUI format. It's a valuable resource whether you're a hobbyist working on your first "Hello World", or a team of a hundred developers working on a website.