This is our second module, covering Git and Version Control.
Git is one of many versions of version control systems (also called source control), and the most widely used today. It was developed in 2005 by Linus Torvalds, well known for being the founding developer of the Linux Operating System.
By the end of this lesson you will:
- Know the basics of why version control is used
- Understand what Git and GitHub are, and some of the terminology (which can seem strange!)
Version control systems are developed for, and most commonly used in, software engineering. All major software projects will use some version control system, it is almost impossible to manage a serious software development project without it. Version controls allows for:
- collaboration so that multiple people can work on projects at the same time
- tracking of exactly when changes were made (and by who) - important if things have gone wrong
- checking of work so that someone else can look at the exact changes an individual has made
If you haven't used Git or version control much in the past you won't be an expert by the end of this class. But it should be an opportunity to see how it could benefit your current processes, or have it as an option in the future.
See Git Intro for Librarians at the Library Carpentry materials site.