Udacity terminology lesson 1

Question 1

VCS

Answer 1

version control system

also source code manager

a tool that manages different versions of source code

Question 2

how to save a version in Git?

Answer 2

commit

Question 3

what is a commit?

Answer 3

fundamental unit in Git

when you commit, Git “takes a picture” of what all your files look like at that moment and stores a reference to that snapshot. You can think of it as a save point in a game - it saves your project’s files and any information about them.

Question 4

repo

Answer 4

repository

a directory which contains your project work and special files to communicate with Git.

can exist either locally on your computer or as a remote copy on another computer.

made up of commits.

Question 5

working directory

Answer 5

the files that you see in your computer’s file system. When you open your project files up on a code editor, you’re working with files in the Working Directory

Question 6

working directory vs repository

Answer 6

working directory when working with Git: When you open your project files up on a code editor, you’re working with files in the Working Directory. you see them on the computer’s file system

repository: the files that have been saved (in commits!)

command line’s current working directory: the directory that your shell is “looking at” right now

Question 7

checkout

Answer 7

copying the content in the repository to the Working Directory

when content in the repository has been copied to the Working Directory.

Question 8

staging area

Answer 8

also staging index, index

A file in the Git directory that stores information about what will go into your next commit.

kind of a prep table where Git will take the next commit. Files on the Staging Index are poised to be added to the repository.

Question 9

SHA

Answer 9

Secure Hash Algorithm

an ID number for each commit

a 40-character string composed of characters (0–9 and a–f) and calculated based on the contents of a file or directory structure in Git

Question 10

branch

Answer 10

when a new line of development is created that diverges from the main line of development. This alternative line of development can continue without altering the main line.

you can think of a branch as where you make a save point in your game and then decide to try out a risky move in the game. If the risky move doesn’t pan out, then you can just go back to the save point.

you can make save points on one branch, and then switch to a different branch and make save points there, too.