Okay, so I’ve heard for sometime now at the various networking events I attend that Github is the best thing since sliced bread. I’m behind the times here but belatedly, I’m jumped on the bandwagon. And now I know why the geeks rave so much about Github.
Git is a version manager program. GitHub is a website on which there are source code repositories manageable by Git. It’s been the ‘go to’ open source version control system for some years now and I can see the huge benefit of using Git. Allowing developers to easily collaborate, as they can download a new version of the software, make changes, and upload the newest revision is ground breaking for me, coming from other control version systems. So I’ve become familiar with creating repos, forking a repo, understanding pull requests and viewing code from other, much more experienced developers. Through using SASS, I’ve overridden my fear of the command line and I’m enjoying the power which git gives you. If anything, it’s great for backing up your files and no need to save numerous versions of your files. You can easily and quickly get access to a previous version, without trawling folders on your local drive.
I love the fact you can experiment with rewriting some code and make commits while I’m doing it. It gives you great flexibility and gives you a degree of assurance which helps you develop your coding skills. With git, you’re not reliant on being connected to a central repository. You can work on the move, meaning you can work anywhere. It’s great being part of the git community and there’s always someone at hand to assist a relatively inexperienced developer like myself. I’ve no doubt that things are going to get a little complicated when I’m going to be collaborating with a team of developers. But I’m looking forward to the challenge.
So I’ve been converted. I’m playing catch up and enjoying learning all the features of Git and GitHub.