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Got 15 minutes and want to learn Git?

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Re: Got 15 minutes and want to learn Git?

#81

Post by forrestthewoods »

Can we please stop pretending that Git is simple and easy to learn? If that were true then there wouldn't be "Learn how to use Git in minutes!" posts every other day.

The fact of the matter is that Git is incredibly powerful but also complex and hard to learn. This isn't a bash on Git at all. It's ok! Sometimes complicated things are just that, complicated.

I believe we'll have better guides and tutorials if people stop treating Git like it's easier or more simple than it actually is.

Re: Got 15 minutes and want to learn Git?

#82

Post by mixmastamyk »

spacemanaki wrote: post #40
dpcan wrote: post #30

NOTE: This is not a rant, I'm just trying to give you a peek into my mind as I tried out this tutorial. I'm doing my best to describe my confusion. I have no clue how to use Git, and I've been trying to wrap my head around it for a while. Unfortunately, this is yet another tutorial that is very frustrating even though it's designed to target noobs like myself. So, I added octocat.txt to my staging area. Success! ...…

> Maybe that's the problem, Git isn't something you can just pick up quickly It is the problem, I think. Git isn't easy to use. It's a powerful tool designed by a very smart person (Linus) to manage a very complex project (the kernel). It's not a toy, and it's not designed for beginners. On top of that, the interface actually isn't that well designed, and is a pretty leaky abstraction layer that in many cases require…

Sounds like a false dilemma. Mercurial is here now, is powerful enough for a majority of users, is easy to use, and has an introductory book as well. After reading it and Spolsky's site, I picked it up in a few hours.

I think git is a good fit for people who find version control theory interesting, a endeavor in itself, or have complex workflows. For the rest of us, who simply need to work together (sometimes offline) with multiple synced backups, the complexity of git is too much.

Hg, for its flaws, keeps the simple things simple. I think the constant push from above to use git is a disservice, and I wonder if there will be a backlash at some point.

Re: Got 15 minutes and want to learn Git?

#83

Post by js2 »

dpcan wrote: post #30

NOTE: This is not a rant, I'm just trying to give you a peek into my mind as I tried out this tutorial. I'm doing my best to describe my confusion. I have no clue how to use Git, and I've been trying to wrap my head around it for a while. Unfortunately, this is yet another tutorial that is very frustrating even though it's designed to target noobs like myself. So, I added octocat.txt to my staging area. Success! ...…

See if the git parable helps:

Git is a simple, but extremely powerful system. Most people try to teach Git by demonstrating a few dozen commands and then yelling “tadaaaaa.” I believe this method is flawed. Such a treatment may leave you with the ability to use Git to perform simple tasks, but the Git commands will still feel like magical incantations. Doing anything out of the ordinary will be terrifying. Until you understand the concepts upon which Git is built, you’ll feel like a stranger in a foreign land.

The following parable will take you on a journey through the creation of a Git-like system from the ground up. Understanding the concepts presented here will be the most valuable thing you can do to prepare yourself to harness the full power of Git. The concepts themselves are quite simple, but allow for an amazing wealth of functionality to spring into existence. Read this parable all the way through and you should have very little trouble mastering the various Git commands and wielding the awesome power that Git makes available to you.

http://tom.preston-werner.com/2009/05/19/the-git-parable.htm...

Re: Got 15 minutes and want to learn Git?

#84

Post by kentbrew »

This was working nicely until about step 20, where everything sort of hung. I've deleted cookies, removed the repository, and tried to restart but I am now hung on step 1. (By "hung," I mean: I've issued the command but nothing ever comes back.)

Re: Got 15 minutes and want to learn Git?

#85

Post by corford »

nhebb wrote: post #53
dpcan wrote: post #30

NOTE: This is not a rant, I'm just trying to give you a peek into my mind as I tried out this tutorial. I'm doing my best to describe my confusion. I have no clue how to use Git, and I've been trying to wrap my head around it for a while. Unfortunately, this is yet another tutorial that is very frustrating even though it's designed to target noobs like myself. So, I added octocat.txt to my staging area. Success! ...…

I'm about half way through the Git Immersion tutorials [1], and so far it's been pretty good - clear explanations of what you're doing and why you should care. [1] http://gitimmersion.com

+1 for this. Of all the tutorials I've tried, this was the one that sunk in the most.

Re: Got 15 minutes and want to learn Git?

#86

Post by envex »

forrestthewoods wrote: post #81

Can we please stop pretending that Git is simple and easy to learn? If that were true then there wouldn't be "Learn how to use Git in minutes!" posts every other day. The fact of the matter is that Git is incredibly powerful but also complex and hard to learn. This isn't a bash on Git at all. It's ok! Sometimes complicated things are just that, complicated. I believe we'll have better guides and tutorials if people s…

Learning everything about git is hard, but learning enough git to use personally isn't that hard.

I use git personally to keep backups of my code and deploy sites I work on. I dont' work with other developers so my knowledge of git is workable, but probably super small.

Git gets complicated (but probably extremely useful) when working with bigger groups and tons of commits, branches and merges.

Re: Got 15 minutes and want to learn Git?

#87

Post by thetabyte »

dpcan wrote: post #30

NOTE: This is not a rant, I'm just trying to give you a peek into my mind as I tried out this tutorial. I'm doing my best to describe my confusion. I have no clue how to use Git, and I've been trying to wrap my head around it for a while. Unfortunately, this is yet another tutorial that is very frustrating even though it's designed to target noobs like myself. So, I added octocat.txt to my staging area. Success! ...…

I find by far the best way to learn git is actually walking through it with someone who knows, and asking absolutely every question that comes to your mind--force them to break it down. Email me at mrjordangoldstein@gmail.com if you want to set up a Skype chat/screenshare sometime, I'd love to teach you. It wasn't that much long ago I was in your shoes!

P.S. And the only way to get better with it after you learn is to use it everywhere. Which is a good idea anyway, because version control is incredibly useful.

Re: Got 15 minutes and want to learn Git?

#88

Post by spacemanaki »

mixmastamyk wrote: post #82
spacemanaki wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Maybe that's the problem, Git isn't something you can just pick up quickly It is the problem, I think. Git isn't easy to use. It's a powerful tool designed by a very smart person (Linus) to manage a very complex project (the kernel). It's not a toy, and it's not designed for beginners. On top of that, the interface actually isn't that well designed, and is a pretty leaky abstraction layer that in many cases require…

Sounds like a false dilemma. Mercurial is here now, is powerful enough for a majority of users, is easy to use, and has an introductory book as well. After reading it and Spolsky's site, I picked it up in a few hours. I think git is a good fit for people who find version control theory interesting, a endeavor in itself, or have complex workflows. For the rest of us, who simply need to work together (sometimes offline…

I specifically wasn't comparing Git to Mercurial, and noted so in my comment, mostly because I don't have any real experience with it. It certainly might be easier to use than Git, I don't actually know. I also don't know how many people who bemoan Git's complexity and learning curve have tried Mercurial, or even used any version control, and how many are migrating from SVN or CVS.

Re: Got 15 minutes and want to learn Git?

#89

Post by conradfr »

My use of Git is basically to have a dev branch where I commit randomly, like some sort of ftp/backup, and a master branch that I merge from dev if I have a release ready.

The other day I tried to merge only some files from a new "experimental" branch and failed hard. I then realized I had it all wrong about how to successfully commit and manage branches.

And felt so lame :) The sad part is that I am the only one trying to use a CVS at work.

TL;DR : I still need to learn Git, so thank you everyone trying to "teach" it.

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