swc-git-script-notes/01_Intro.txt at master · jbkieffer/swc-git-script-notes · GitHub

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http://swcarpentry.github.io/git-novice/setup

http://swcarpentry.github.io/git-novice/01-basics/

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9:15 for 10 minutes

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In this section:
- Why version control?
- Git vs. Version Control
- Vocabulary

DON'T FORGET TO ASK FOR QUESTIONS

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WHY VERSION CONTROL?

When we use version control, we create "unlimited undo" for our files and projects.

We could try to do this by saving multiple copies of a file at different stages of our work:
thesis-ch1-v1.3.docx
thesis-ch1-v1.3-bak.docx
thesis-ch1-v1.8.docx
thesis-ch2-v3-tables.docx

Even with good file naming practices:
- those file names get confusing after a while
- a long list of files in our directory makes it harder to find what we're looking for

Instead, version control software, such as Git, can keep snapshots of our changes over time, so we can keep one copy of a file. This saves storage space and helps us keep our project directory clean.

Think of version control like a wedding photographer, snapping pictures throughout the day to capture the event as it develops. You can go back to the pictures to remember the day at any point where a picture was taken.

With that said, version control is NOT a backup! Version control tracks changes; it doesn't save multiple copies of a file. We can copy our project to a cloud service, such as GitHub, to create an additional copy, but we still need a robust backup strategy outside of version control. Backups are outside the scope of this workshop, but KU Libraries has more information about backups on our website:
https://lib.ku.edu/data/store

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GIT vs VERSION CONTROL

Git is not the only available version control software, but it is the one you're most likely to encounter and use in your work.

We will be using Git as our version control software because:
- it's free
- it's widely used
- there's a lot of help available online
- it's the de facto version control system for software development
- it works on an individual computer, without access to a server or an internet connection

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VOCABULARY

* Commit: The changes that make up a version of an item

* Repository (Repo): All the commits (changes) and metadata (descriptions, contributors, timestamps, etc.) for a project

* A Repository can be kept in sync across multiple computers and collaborators

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