Better Docs for Newbies

luxlogica commented 6 years ago

I've just recently come across GitFinder, and think it's a really exciting piece of software that could have a lot of appeal to developers that are new to git and version control itself. But in order to really gain some ground in that particular niche, it needs very good docs.

In fact, one of the main reasons a lot of developers find out about Tower is because of their 'online git course' - which is free, if you access the version that teaches how to use git using Tower. I see a similar 'learn git with gitFinder' online guide being able to attract a lot of newcomers for you.

Some basic things that would definitely not be clear to beginners - and which a manual could help greatly with:

How to setup gitFinder: are there different strategies for different workflows? Are there things you shouldn't do? - e.g., should you setup your entire HD as a repo folder? How about your entire Documents folder? Even if you are using iCloud sync?
How to clone a remote repository - and when should I 'clone bare repository' and 'initialise submodules'?
How to create a local repository - e.g., do you create a folder first, or do you just call the 'Create...' command on your Documents folder? If we 'convert' an existing folder to a repository folder, how do I 'unconvert' it - i.e., delete the repository, making it a 'plain' folder again? How do I then 'upload' my local repository to an online hosting service like GitHub or GitLab?
How to stage and commit? - and how to commit file deletion and moves.
How to create, merge and delete branches - perhaps with a basic explanation on 'master', 'develop' workflows
How to 'Undo Errors' - different rollback strategies including revert, checkout, reset, etc.
How to Use Submodules - how to setup and update (extremely useful for web developers)

milke commented 6 years ago

Hey @luxlogica,

I really, really apologise for this very delayed response, I was on a (sort of "no-connection") vacation for about 10 days, without any access to Internet or any other online service.

Thanks for suggestions regarding GitFinder documentation. I'll try to find some resources (time and people) to do it. I can't just start doing it myself, as I don't think I'm not very good at explaining things and writing documentation. I also can't just use what Tower guys have done as a template, I was already accused by some of them that GitFinder is "a blatant rip-off of Tower" and I'd like to avoid any similar accusations in the future.

Rest assured something will be done regarding GitFinder documentation.

luxlogica commented 5 years ago

@milke, thank you for version 1.3! 🎉

With the addition of LFS, better docs are now even more necessary - specially for newbies. Imagine someone totally new to git - not just git-lfs - trying to 'decipher' all the new preferences...

milke commented 5 years ago

You're welcome!

Yeah, I agree about the docs, I just need to find some free tome to make it. Having some volunteers would be nice 😉

milke / GitFinder-Issues

Better Docs for Newbies #40