Fundamentally, a Version Control System (VCS) is a system that records changes to a file or set of files over time, so that you can recall specific versions later. Git is a modern VCS that is fast and flexible to use thanks to its lightweight branch creation. Git is very popular, this is due in part to the availability of cloud hosting services like GitHub, Bitbucket and GitLab. Hosting a Git repositories on a remote service like GitHub greatly facilitates working collaboratively as well as allowing you to frequently backup your work on a remote host.
This session will introduce the fundamental concepts of using Git locally. We will also see how to synchronize your work with a remote repository on GitHub.
Participants will leave knowing the commands and workflow to use Git locally on their own computers to track their work. and they will learn how to synchronize their work with a remote private repository on Github.
Basic facility with the bash command-line (covered in the earlier “Intro to the Linux Command Line” session). No prior experience with Git or any other version control system is assumed. However, in order to prime their brains with some exposure to lingo and concepts before the workshop, participants should read the following sections from “Pro Git”, a free online book available in both PDF and HTML formats:
Ideally, participants should have Git installed on their local machines. Chapter 1.5 of “Pro Git” describes installation. Some users may have difficulty installing git locally. As an alternative, participants can connect remotely to Adroit and conduct the workshop that way.
This workshop is conducted on the command line, so participants must also have access to a Linux/Unix command line. Mac and Linux users already have this. Windows users can either install an SSH client and connect remotely to Adroit, or they can enable access to a Linux command line on their laptop (options include Cygwin, Git Bash, the Windows Subsystem for Linux, etc).