How to use Git?

Question

I am an engineering student who spends most of his spare time watching TV rather than coding. So basically I have zero experience with any kind of version control system. My understanding is somehow they make distribution of projects easier.

I was looking into Blueprint CSS Framework, liked it and downloaded from their Git project page. Now, I know Git does much more than providing a link on their website. So my questions are the following:

• How do I use Git properly to keep my Blueprint download updated? Say there is a new version, what do I do?
• Can I update all Git downloads at the same time? Say I have Blueprint and other projects downloaded on my Mac, how can I update them efficiently?

I looked into Git guide, but it's mostly for the people who have much more experience than I have.

Thanks for help :)

Answer 1

You might want to start with an introduction to version control. This guide is specific to subversion, but the core concepts can be applied to most version control systems. After you have the basics, you can delve into the git guide.

Answer 2

Have a look at git for designers for great one page article/high level intro to the topic.

I would start at http://git-scm.com/documentation, there are documents and great video presentations for non-software-developer/cs users. Git for beginners have some basic stuff.

Answer 3

I think gitready is a great starting point. I'm using git for a project now and that site pretty much got the ball rolling for me.

Answer 4

To answer your questions directly rather than pointing you at documentation:

1) In order to keep it up to date, do a git pull and that will pull down the latest changes in the repository, on the branch that you're currently using (which is generally master)

2) I don't think there's something (widely available) that'll do this for you. To update them follow 1) for all projects.

Answer 5

I really like the O'Reilly book "Version Control with Git". I read it cover-to-cover and now I'm very comfortable with advanced git topics.

Answer 6

git clone your-url local-dir

to checkout source code;

git pull

to update source code in local-dir;