Elysian Shadows

I recommend starting with this video. It doesn't matter whether you are a Git virgin or have been using Git for months. This video does an excellent job of describing "the way Git thinks" and how it works. It is a fantastic introduction. Set aside some time as it is over an hour long. ^_^

As mentioned in that video above, there is a free book on learning Git (written by the guy who presented in that vid). There is a physical version, but the content is under a Creative Commons License. So, you can view/download it in just about any format. (I even downloaded the DRM-free .mobi format for my Kindle reader.)

If you want to understand Git at an even more technical level, this video does an excellent job. You learn more about Git's concepts of 'blobs' and 'trees' to prevent redundant data and whatnot.

And lastly, if you can stand listening to Linus continue being an arrogant buffoon, here is his Google Techtalk where he introduces Git at an extremely conceptual level. (He barely touches how Git actually works. He more just introduces the concept of DVCS to the world.)

So, here is an abridged version of my post:

VIDEO -- Introduction to Git with Scott Chacon of GitHub
EBOOK -- Pro Git (available in HTML, PDF, MOBI, and EPUB)
VIDEO -- Randal Schwartz on Git (technical overview of Git's objects)
VIDEO -- Tech Talk: Linus Torvalds on git (overview of why Git was created)

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If you want to install Git on Windows, I strongly recommend msysgit. There are many confusing download options. I recommend choosing the top always. The latest as of this post is this one. Whenever you need to use Git, just fire up Git Bash, and you're off! The nice thing about this msys terminal is that you have UNIX freedom.

If you're in Linux, just grab Git from the repository. If you're in OSX, I cannot remember how I installed it to be honest. (avancs, help me out.) I do know that Xcode comes with Git integration now.

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The bottom line is that distributed version control systems (DVCS) are superior to centralized version control systems in almost every way. I used to be an avid Subversion (SVN) user/fan, and I was very leery of how Git operated. As Scott says in his introductory video, it really helps to just forget everything you know about version control. Git (and whatever other DVCS out there) makes no attempt to "improve upon" the existing version control paradigm. It's a completely new way to approach version control. It takes a while to unlearn what you have learned, but it is worth it in the long run.

Thank you for taking the time to post these resources! I've seen Linus' Google tech talk, and found it comical as well as informative as to how distributed control systems are meant to be used. I think I'll watch Scott's talk next.

I love how every single clone I make is a complete backup, and I can setup another server at any time I choose. ^_^

Does anyone really have 90 min to watch a video about git???

also, don't forget to check out git-o-lite https://github.com/sitaramc/gitolite by far the best and easiest way to set up a server with authentication.

Thank you for posting this!

If you're serious about learning Git, 90 minutes is a small price to pay.

avansc wrote:Does anyone really have 90 min to watch a video about git???

also, don't forget to check out git-o-lite https://github.com/sitaramc/gitolite by far the best and easiest way to set up a server with authentication.

+1 for gitolite. Took like 5 min to install and configure, works great on a shared host (DreamHost, in this case), and doing admin from a git repo is pretty cool.

avansc wrote:Does anyone really have 90 min to watch a video about git???

I can think of a thousand 90 minute videos I'd less rather watch.

Ha! Found another funny intro site for Git.

http://think-like-a-git.net/

I'd just like to say, I watched the "90 minute video" and it really transformed my understanding of how git works. I really recommend if you don't have a solid foundation in git that you MAKE the time to watch it.

short wrote:I'd just like to say, I watched the "90 minute video" and it really transformed my understanding of how git works. I really recommend if you don't have a solid foundation in git that you MAKE the time to watch it.

I KNOW, RIGHT? For me, it finally made me stop saying, "I used to do X, Y, and Z in SVN. How do I stay in my comfort zone while using Git?"