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I agree with the just learn git part. We are all students when it comes to learning something new to you and this career is a constant stream of learning things

I agree with the just learn git part. We are all students when it comes to learning something new to you and this career is a constant stream of learning things. So my advice would be to deeply learn what your tools are doing and do that by trying out different things in a zero risk sandbox. Git is decentralized, you can setup a local repository that you can use for practice and to learn what is going on.

empyrrhicist 4y ago
Git and its particular interface aren't deep facets of the universe we need to get used to, building better tools and exploring new interfaces is exactly what we should be doing. Sure, learn Git, but that's not a reason to give up on alternatives.
bachmeier 4y ago
> this career is a constant stream of learning things The whole point of software engineering is to write software that makes our lives better. Why would "deal with it" be the right answer to the horrific mess that is the Git UI?
- Xelynega 4y ago
  It's not really "deal with it" it's "learn the tool to start using it effectively". If someone is having trouble learning how to use a lathe, that doesn't mean lathes are a "horrific mess" and need to be reworked, it means that person needs to learn more about the tool they're using and how to use it.
  - badrequest 4y ago
    If using the tool effectively is burdensome enough, then it's the same as "dealing with it".
    - scubbo 4y ago
      Well, yes, but "enough" is doing a lot of heavy lifting there. Learning git is a large and steep learning curve, but the benefits from doing so outweigh the costs.
  - olyjohn 4y ago
    Sure but if you can make a tool that saves you 5 minutes of time on a lathe every time you use it, you may be a fool for not doing it. That's the whole point of building tools.
  - nuancebydefault 4y ago
    In industry they use CNC millers, I guess many workers found lathes too unhandy and slow.
nuancebydefault 4y ago
An alternative frontend to git cli is a good idea, since several git command names are very counter-intuitive. Git checkout to switch to a branch that you already have checked out, git add for adding new files, for marking resolved as well as for staging. Git status only shows your local status without looking at the server. The frontend can be a ui or a cli like this with a good explain command. It is important though that the final git commands are shown, such that you can learn, and find more details on the internet when needed. So learn, yes, but whilst avoiding many initial pitfalls.

empyrrhicist 4y ago

Git and its particular interface aren't deep facets of the universe we need to get used to, building better tools and exploring new interfaces is exactly what we should be doing. Sure, learn Git, but that's not a reason to give up on alternatives.

bachmeier 4y ago

> this career is a constant stream of learning things The whole point of software engineering is to write software that makes our lives better. Why would "deal with it" be the right answer to the horrific mess that is the Git UI?

Xelynega 4y ago
It's not really "deal with it" it's "learn the tool to start using it effectively". If someone is having trouble learning how to use a lathe, that doesn't mean lathes are a "horrific mess" and need to be reworked, it means that person needs to learn more about the tool they're using and how to use it.
- badrequest 4y ago
  If using the tool effectively is burdensome enough, then it's the same as "dealing with it".
  - scubbo 4y ago
    Well, yes, but "enough" is doing a lot of heavy lifting there. Learning git is a large and steep learning curve, but the benefits from doing so outweigh the costs.
- olyjohn 4y ago
  Sure but if you can make a tool that saves you 5 minutes of time on a lathe every time you use it, you may be a fool for not doing it. That's the whole point of building tools.
- nuancebydefault 4y ago
  In industry they use CNC millers, I guess many workers found lathes too unhandy and slow.

nuancebydefault 4y ago

An alternative frontend to git cli is a good idea, since several git command names are very counter-intuitive. Git checkout to switch to a branch that you already have checked out, git add for adding new files, for marking resolved as well as for staging. Git status only shows your local status without looking at the server. The frontend can be a ui or a cli like this with a good explain command. It is important though that the final git commands are shown, such that you can learn, and find more details on the internet when needed. So learn, yes, but whilst avoiding many initial pitfalls.