Better Git Started is a work designed for users who have little to no experience with using or interacting with a terminal or with Git/GitHub. The book first introduces readers to basic computer ettiquette and basics such as file name guidelines and other recommended practices. Then, the command line is introduced and basic commands are taught. Following that is a discussion of GitHub and Git for those working alone and then for those working in a team.
No experience is necessary to read this book; everything is taught in order and starts from the beginning. Necessary materials are explained in a preface and a GitHub account is created as part of the regular book activities. The book works sequentially with activities that build off of each other and require the reader to follow along with their own computers, giving direct examples of the content given.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit the Creative Commons website.
The HTML version of the book is hosted on my personal website. PDF files for both electronic and print platforms can be found in the output directory along with their corresponding LaTeX files (note that these files are not meant to be user friendly).
Git Started was written in PreTeXt (https://pretextbook.org), a markup language designed for authors. Thus, to edit and build the book yourself, you will need to use PreTeXt.
Make sure you have Python, LaTeX (if making a PDF), and a good text editor installed. Fork, then clone your forked repository with
git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/gitstarted.git
and install PreTeXt on the command line using Python (and probably a virtual environment)
pip install pretext==1.3.1
To build the HTML, type pretext build html and then pretext view html on the command line. For PDF builds, use either pretext build latex-elec or pretext build latex-print and use your LaTeX installation to compile a PDF.
Better Git Started: An Introduction to the Command Line, GitHub, and Git was written by Ian Curtis, a senior at Grand Valley State University and Editorial Assistant for the GVSU Libraries. This text was developed as part of the Accelerating Open Educational Resources Initiative at Grand Valley State University, with support from the University Libraries and the President's Innovation Fund.
Suggested Attribution: Better Git Started: An Introduction to the Command Line, GitHub, and Git, by Ian Curtis, published by the Grand Valley State University Libraries, 2022.
The Grand Valley State University Libraries strive to ensure our tools, devices, services, and environments are available to and usable by as many people as possible.
The web version of Better Git Started incorporates the following features to support accessibility:
- All content can be navigated by use of a keyboard
- Links, headings, and tables have been designed to work with screen readers
- Code in PreTeXt is rendered with separate blocks so they can be understood by using screen readers and/or other assistive devices.
With any questions, comments, concerns, feature requests, and more, be sure to open an issue. If you are feeling up to it, do some editing and submit a pull request, especially if you wish to add content to the sections on Linux.