Sunday, October 7, 2012

[Book Review] Version Control with Git

Book Review for Version Control with Git: Powerful tools and techniques for collaborative software development
This is the first time I look at Git as a basic tool to help me keep my scripts in order. I don't code for living, all the places I have been to already has a set of version control system in place for developers. The quickest way to get going was to leverage the existing tools. It is not until now that I write enough scripts that keeping them in order is starting to become an issue. I am a big believer in 'learn once, use many times', so even though Git sounds like an overkill for my purpose, I have decided to explore the possibility of using Git for my projects. 

Half way thru the book, I have already decided that this is probably going to be the only book I will ever need for Git. Combing with the build-in manual and online documentation for the latest features, there is no need for a second book on Git for my purposes. The book starts with quick history and introduction, then goes into more depth on each of the aspects of Git, starting from the most used to advance. 

For regular users, reading up to Chapter 4 will likely be a good starting point start using Git and reference back here and there. Chapter 3 gave a good tour of the most used commands and Chapter 4 introduces the basic concepts of Git. Since the main purpose of Git is for collaboration of coding, it is likely that once you understand the concepts, you will need to talk to your fellow coders to come up with a agreeable setup. 

Personally, I think it is ok to start reading a little faster from there on, keep an eye out and slow down when you see an applicable concept, but knowing where to look back later when you need the information is the way I approached it. 

Chapter 20 is a good chapter to read in depth if you are using SVC but trying to convert to Git, Chapter 21 is a good chapter on GitHub. 

Overall, I feel it was a wise investment of my time in reading this book. 

I will follow up with another post on getting started with Git. 




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