Vocabulary

Keeping track of the vocabulary!

git - tool that keeps track of changes to files.

Github (github.com) - a service that hosts projects that use git. It’s not necessary for using git (you can use git locally!), but it’s where you’ll find many open source projects.

repository (repo) - It’s like a folder (or directory) that contains all the files in your project. You can have local and remote repositories. A local repository is the folder on your computer. A remote repository is the copy that’s hosted on Github. (git)

commit - A commit is like a snapshot of your file. A commit is the change, committing is making the change. When you commit after you’ve edited something, you’re saving that file as it is in that moment. When you commit, you’ll write a message that explains what’s different about the file, and git will save the time it was edited and a unique identifier so that you can go back to it. (git)

branch - You start with a “master” branch, which is the “master copy” of your file. If you make a new branch, it makes a copy of the project from that point and lets you diverge so that you can modify it independent from the master copy. (git)

merge - A merge incorporates the changes from one branch into another. For example, when you decided to diverge from the master branch, you created a new branch, perhaps named “experimental” (or whatever you’d like!) where you make some changes. If you decide that you like the changes, then you would merge “experimental” into “master,” so now the master branch contains the changes made in “experimental”. (git)

fork - From Github, “a fork is a copy of a repository. Forking a repository allows you to freely experiment with changes without affecting the original project. Most commonly, forks are used to either propose changes to someone else’s project or to use someone else’s projects as a starting point for your own idea.” (You might find Github Guides: Forking useful!)

What’s the difference between a fork and a branch? A fork is a Github thing - it copies someone else’s repository (on Github) to your account (on Github). It is kind of similar to the idea of branching (which is a Git thing) in that it lets you work on it independent of the “master copy”, but again, it’s a Github-to-Github thing. (Github)

pull request - On Github, if you’re asking someone to merge in changes that you’ve made to their project, you’ll submit something called a pull request. On Github, the pull request will show the differences between their project as it is and your additions. They will review the pull request, and if they like the changes, they’ll accept it (merge it in). (Github)

Github Issues - Github Issues is Github’s issue tracking system. Opening an issue is like opening a support ticket - if you notice that something is not working, or if you have a request for something new, you can submit an issue for a project.

Github Pages - a feature from Github.com that creates a website from the files in your project (it’s free!).

Markdown - is a way to write and format text in a way can be easily turned into web pages.

GUI (graphical user interface, pronounced like “gooey”) - It’s a graphical way to interact with a computer, rather than a text-based one. For example, a GUI allows you to start a computer program by moving your mouse over to its icon and clicking on it, rather than going to Terminal in Mac or Command Prompt in Windows, where you’d type in text commands.