Niche Commands and Topics within the Intro to Version Control Course

[liamjberrisford]

Some of the topics within the Intro to Version Control course are quite niche and could do with being moved from the main content. The options for tackling this include:

• Moving the content into a short course like environment management
• Moving the content into intermediate version control

[nedtaylor]

Niche topics

• git reset and git revert (at least reset, maybe reduce significance, especially for an intro course)
• Spends too long on .gitignore
• Spends too long on Markdown coding
• Refer to git switch -c and/or git checkout -b instead of git branch and then git checkout
• Course assumes a level of Linux understanding (it is described as helpful not but essential). The way the course is designed, it is definitely essential
  • For example, the Markdown section asks about creating files, but doesn't say how

Possible errors with quiz

• Undoing Changes quiz: should answer 1 be git restore --staged?
• Remote Branches with GitHub quiz: answer 2 is never discussed in the course, I think

Suggested topics to add

• Set up an ssh key as an optional end to the course
• More focus on use of git in VSCode and RStudio (maybe main presenter knowledge in VSCode and at least one of the helpers need knowledge in RStudio)
  • Give the git commands as the starter concept of each section, then highlight how this is handled in VSCode.
  • Issue can be that VSCode may update its format regularly
• Include section on remote Git repository issue trackers

Additional points (might want to be moved into another issue):

• The course refers to "episodes", feels odd. Maybe call them topics or sections.
• Sections such as Working with Local Branches has downloadable Repository files for people to download. Should this be in the prerequisites of the course? Or, better yet, should this be a public GitHub repository that attendees can clone or fork (gives them more experience with cloning)?

[42john42]

• git diff - I think after briefly showing this as a command we should move swiftly on to using it in an IDE. Does anyone use git diff on the command line any more?
• git rm and git mv - I never use these so they seem unnecessary to me. But maybe I'm missing something!
• Markdown - Potentially teaching this from scratch takes the focus away from the purpose of the course.

I think, more generally, these notes were designed for self study. I think they need re-working to be more suitable for classroom settings. They could be much briefer (more like the intermediate course), but live demos including GUI integration and extensions should be used.
As a visual learner I find the lack of diagrams disorientating, particularly for concepts such as the working tree, staging area, commits, branches, .git folder, local and remote repositories.

[nedtaylor]

• git diff - I think after briefly showing this as a command we should move swiftly on to using it in an IDE. Does anyone use git diff on the command line any more?

Agreed. I use it RARELY.

• git rm and git mv - I never use these so they seem unnecessary to me. But maybe I'm missing something!

Oddly enough, I actually use this more often, but mostly when I've messed up something in my filespace. The more I use an IDE, the less I use these commands. I'd happily suggest the focus on them is reduced though (and could remove almost entirely, just make people aware of how git tracks a file).

• Markdown - Potentially teaching this from scratch takes the focus away from the purpose of the course.

Agreed.

I think, more generally, these notes were designed for self study. I think they need re-working to be more suitable for classroom settings. They could be much briefer (more like the intermediate course), but live demos including GUI integration and extensions should be used. As a visual learner I find the lack of diagrams disorientating, particularly for concepts such as the working tree, staging area, commits, branches, .git folder, local and remote repositories.

Agreed. There were a couple of images of them, but too few. Text was far too much.

[42john42]

Broadly, I think it would be good to focus the course on two things:

• A higher level intro to what git does (with diagrams) and why this is so useful
• The typical cycle of edit, stage, commit, [push]. Really hammer this home. This is the vast majority of git usage IMO.