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I use Github but every time I do something it feels like I’m going to break the whole project. Looking at this map, I realize I basically know nothing. Where d

I use Github but every time I do something it feels like I’m going to break the whole project. Looking at this map, I realize I basically know nothing. Where did all you guys learn how to use GitHub?

kqr 5y ago
Step one is to learn the difference between git and GitHub. ;) Jokes aside, there is a wealth of literature on how to understand git from the ground up. I strongly recommend reading through one of those. I can't recommend anything in particular, but I'm sure someone else will chime in with their favourite.
- raju 5y ago
  [shameless plug] Since you asked, I just published Head First Git. I did a "Show HN" that didn't get much traction, but rather than repeating what I said there, I'll just post the link—https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30072348 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30072348 [end shameless plug] And to the point many others made, there are a _lot_ of resources out there, but if you are looking to start back at the basics, I feel my book (which is designed for beginners) might be a good start. Of course there is the canonical Pro Git (https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2 https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2) book. And once you understand the _Directed Acyclic Graph_ I feel https://github.com/git-school/visualizing-git https://github.com/git-school/visualizing-git is a great project to see what happens when you run certain operations in Git. Perhaps you've concluded that I love Git, and I love teaching it—I am @looselytyped on Twitter (DMs are open) if you want to reach out and we can carry out a conversation elsewhere—always willing to talk Git. Edit—I replied to the wrong comment. My apologies kqr. This was meant for VeninVidiaVicii.
JimDabell 5y ago
This is a diagram illustrating Git, not GitHub. Git is a version control system. GitHub is a hosting platform for Git repositories that adds a web interface and social features. I learnt how to use Git by picking up the basics, then whenever I needed to do anything new or whenever something didn’t make sense, I read about how that part of Git worked. Also, I read the Pro Git book, which is free and linked to from the Git homepage. If all you ever do is look for a quick fix or use a cheat sheet when something doesn’t make sense, you’re the “One year of experience ten times” developer, so try not to do that. Learning how GitHub works after you understand Git is easy.
coldpie 5y ago
I'm a big fan of git's tutorial manpages: gittutorial, gittutorial-2, and especially gitcore-tutorial which digs into the actual on-disk representation to let you understand what the upper layers are actually doing. Understanding the underlying model helps you reason about how to accomplish what you want to do. Manpages available on your local system, or they're online here: https://git-scm.com/docs/gittutorial https://git-scm.com/docs/gittutorial https://git-scm.com/docs/gittutorial-2 https://git-scm.com/docs/gittutorial-2 https://git-scm.com/docs/gitcore-tutorial https://git-scm.com/docs/gitcore-tutorial
macintux 5y ago
If you like video content, Jessica Kerr has a very nice talk on git. https://youtu.be/yCh6TSLIQBQ https://youtu.be/yCh6TSLIQBQ
enb 5y ago
As others have mentioned, make sure you understand the difference between git an github. The way I built an understanding of git was to create a local git repo, and start working with some plain text files. I tried the various commands - add, commit, branch, merge, and observed what happened to each file. Take this a step further and start working with a remote - you can use github. This is how I built a mental model of what git and its commands do.

kqr 5y ago

Step one is to learn the difference between git and GitHub. ;) Jokes aside, there is a wealth of literature on how to understand git from the ground up. I strongly recommend reading through one of those. I can't recommend anything in particular, but I'm sure someone else will chime in with their favourite.

raju 5y ago
[shameless plug] Since you asked, I just published Head First Git. I did a "Show HN" that didn't get much traction, but rather than repeating what I said there, I'll just post the link—https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30072348 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30072348 [end shameless plug] And to the point many others made, there are a _lot_ of resources out there, but if you are looking to start back at the basics, I feel my book (which is designed for beginners) might be a good start. Of course there is the canonical Pro Git (https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2 https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2) book. And once you understand the _Directed Acyclic Graph_ I feel https://github.com/git-school/visualizing-git https://github.com/git-school/visualizing-git is a great project to see what happens when you run certain operations in Git. Perhaps you've concluded that I love Git, and I love teaching it—I am @looselytyped on Twitter (DMs are open) if you want to reach out and we can carry out a conversation elsewhere—always willing to talk Git. Edit—I replied to the wrong comment. My apologies kqr. This was meant for VeninVidiaVicii.

JimDabell 5y ago

This is a diagram illustrating Git, not GitHub. Git is a version control system. GitHub is a hosting platform for Git repositories that adds a web interface and social features. I learnt how to use Git by picking up the basics, then whenever I needed to do anything new or whenever something didn’t make sense, I read about how that part of Git worked. Also, I read the Pro Git book, which is free and linked to from the Git homepage. If all you ever do is look for a quick fix or use a cheat sheet when something doesn’t make sense, you’re the “One year of experience ten times” developer, so try not to do that. Learning how GitHub works after you understand Git is easy.

coldpie 5y ago

I'm a big fan of git's tutorial manpages: gittutorial, gittutorial-2, and especially gitcore-tutorial which digs into the actual on-disk representation to let you understand what the upper layers are actually doing. Understanding the underlying model helps you reason about how to accomplish what you want to do. Manpages available on your local system, or they're online here: https://git-scm.com/docs/gittutorial https://git-scm.com/docs/gittutorial https://git-scm.com/docs/gittutorial-2 https://git-scm.com/docs/gittutorial-2 https://git-scm.com/docs/gitcore-tutorial https://git-scm.com/docs/gitcore-tutorial

macintux 5y ago

If you like video content, Jessica Kerr has a very nice talk on git. https://youtu.be/yCh6TSLIQBQ https://youtu.be/yCh6TSLIQBQ

enb 5y ago

As others have mentioned, make sure you understand the difference between git an github. The way I built an understanding of git was to create a local git repo, and start working with some plain text files. I tried the various commands - add, commit, branch, merge, and observed what happened to each file. Take this a step further and start working with a remote - you can use github. This is how I built a mental model of what git and its commands do.