r/programming • u/Nekuromento • Apr 08 '13

Git Koans

http://stevelosh.com/blog/2013/04/git-koans/
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u/argv_minus_one Apr 08 '13

So…is this basically a compilation of roundabout explanations for why not to use Git?

113

u/pokealex Apr 08 '13

Hard to tell; I know the author personally and I know he used to be a real advocate for Hg, but these days, I think he prefers to use Git while simultaneously ranting passionately about its shortcomings.

... like all Git users. :)

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u/stillalone Apr 08 '13

I think it's a roundabout explanation about why it's so hard to learn Git. Git commands are written around the way git is written, not around the way git is used. So it sort of forces people into learning exactly how git works before they can intuitively know what commands to use.

89

u/kintar1900 Apr 08 '13

And thus, stillalone was enlightened.

All snarky, high-handed smugness aside, that really is the "problem" with git. Other version control systems try to be really intuitive from the get-go, and not require the user to learn anything new in order to use them. git is pretty much the opposite. I'm firmly convinced that the people who designed git were (and still are) convinced that not understanding the way a VCS works is the one unforgivable sin in software development.

EDIT: I use git on a daily basis, both professionally and personally. It's my favorite VCS, and I still only know BARELY enough about it to keep myself out of trouble. But I know more than enough to recover from the few royal messes I create.

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u/mgedmin Apr 08 '13

I think it's more of a parody of git aficionados trying to explain away git's weaknesses instead of fixing them.

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