I really never understood why one would need a GUI for git except for visualizing branches.
I feel like I’m crazy seeing so many people using clicky buttons for tracking files. I need like 4 commands for 95% of what I do and the rest you look up.
You’re already programming! Just learn the tool!
And now there’s a github CLI tool? I hate to beat a dead horse but Microsoft pushing their extended version of an open source tool/protocol is literally the second step of their mantra.
Maybe not a GUI but using a TUI (lazygit) I am certain that I can do everything faster than you could ever do using the CLI. Tbf if a GUI Tool had the same shortcuts it would also be faster.
Checking the diff before commit, solve merge conflicts
Also if it’s well integrated into the IDE it feels less like using a separate tool. For 95% of what I do the ide/gui feels better (fetch, pull, push, commit, checkout, merge). Usually just 2-4 clicks and no need to type the branch name (ticket number and then some)
For Reflog, reset I use the terminal.
If I had to start github desktop or another seperate gui I would use the terminal that’s integrated into the IDE.
I use LazyGit on the CLI for a “GUI-like” experience. I find it helps me make smaller more meaningful commits. If I’m working on a feature that enhances or fixes other modules in my repo to support, its trivial when done to make multiple clean commits out of the one feature that isolates the changes in functionality to individual commits instead of one medium commit.
On a large enough repo (e.g., monorepo), its a pain to do using git commands.
I primarily use GitHub CLI to interact with the GitHub API, not Git. I don’t really see it as an extension of the Git CLI, which I use much more frequently. Everything you can do with it can also be done through their REST API.
I use it for things that aren’t really git features, like:
Syncing repository admin, pull request, and branch control settings across multiple repositories
Checking the status of self-hosted actions runners
Do you use the command line for everything? Do you edit with vim, view diffs with git diff, browse the web with links or lynx?
GUIs are useful tools. I’m happy with VSCode’s git integration. It’s just what I need for basic stuff like staging files and committing. I use the CLI whenever I want to do something like rebasing because I can type that command faster than I can figure out the GUI, but it would be stupid to artificially force myself to use the CLI for everything because of some kind of principal.
Yeah I actually just prefer the command line, I’ve never had to force myself to use it. I even tried using VSC for a bit recently but i couldn’t get myself to like it. I just use nvim with some plugins in a tmux session now and its productive as hell.
Of course I don’t browse the web with the command line. For merging branches, I always merge main into the working branch first, check conflict files, and go through the file finding the diffs and resolving them. I’ve used merge tools before that were sorta nice but I had my own issues with them.
Maybe it’s the type of programming I do. I don’t do any web stuff, so file count is down. For larger code bases I keep a non editor terminal up and will grep -re for word/phrase searching, find to look for specific files, etc. I’ll occasionally use an IDE, typically eclipse based because embedded, but I don’t find myself missing the features they add.
Of course I don’t browse the web with the command line.
That’s my point. Browsing the web with a command line tool is obnoxious - you use a GUI for tasks that you find easier/more pleasant to do with a GUI. The difference is where that line is. When I’m reviewing what work I’ve done and checking through my code for debugging statements and other cruft I don’t want to push, I prefer to have a nice tree view of my change set where I can click on an item, see what I’ve changed, select lines and stage them, select other lines and revert them, etc. I could do all of that with command line tools (though not that many have mouse support) but I already know how to do exactly what I want with VSC so why would I use anything else?
You’re already programming! Just learn the tool!
If someone is incapable of learning the tool, that’s an issue if they’re a developer. But your statement implies that everyone should use the CLI for everything. My point is that it’s a matter of preference. The CLI is not superior and GUIs aren’t superior. They’re both just tools and if you can get your job done quickly and efficiently, that’s all that should matter.
The CLI is scriptable/automatable and unambiguous when sharing instructions with coworkers. Both of these things make it very useful to know the commands. I do agree that it helps in some situations to visualize what is going on with a GUI/TUI though (neogit for nvim or magit for emacs are great if anyone is wondering), it can make things clearer at a glance.
I agree that it is a very useful skill to know how to use the CLI. I agree that every senior developer should know how and every junior should be capable of learning. I vehemently disagree that developers should use the CLI as their regular means of interacting with Git if that is not their preference.
Gitgui is pretty great too if you need a bit of interactivity. It’s bare bones and no bullshit but can still do like 90% of what all the other fancy tools can do.
I’m not sure about the exact commands, but you do something like gh auth login to authenticate the CLI and then something like gh ssh setup to change ssh’s config file to authorize using the GH CLI.
I think for most people it’s whatever you got used to first. I agree the hatred the GUIs get is overblown. I would always recommend people learn the command line but if you want to use a GUI, go for it, doesn’t affect me unless your commits are bad, in which case the CLI wouldn’t have helped anyway.
I’d love to like the desktop app, but I just don’t understand what it’s doing under the hood when I click a button. When I click an icon, is it syncing my changes up as it pulls down, it just pulling down? I guess point and click is more scary to me when prod is on the line.
If I may shill for a moment, that’s something I like about sublime merge - the buttons mostly map to git commands, and it has a nice log showing the commands it ran and their output.
This post title is misleading. The developer was working with Snap until Canonical didn’t allowed it anymore. He’s pissed with the policy enforcement which is strictly speaking commercial and as bad as Apple’s afaik…
Canonical has been taking bad decisions for quite some time now, and this developer was trying to reach Ubuntu users even while probably knowing these. Which makes sense, of course. The point being that this dev’s disappointment seems quite specific in these notes (against Snap), and imho he might work again towards shipping their app through Snap if he was allowed to. My comment compares Canonical to Apple, to give some context of where Canonical is at so many other idiosyncrasies (for example, I also heard other bad stuff about their H.R., in particular a way too lengthy hiring process.)
Yup! Been using it for years, it looks nice, has a good UI and works well. I’ll use the CLI if I need to but 99% of the time Desktop is the better choice (for me).
I wish! The best Linux git gui I have found is SmartGit. I like it, but it’s just a little goofy and not free. Fork is better for its ability to very easily stage and/or stash a subset of the current changeset.
Anyone got any suggestions? I tried git-cola and gitkraken. The former I found obtuse and limited, and the latter is not free in addition to somehow making git harder with a pretty gui.
Gitkraken is free as long as the repository is public, which seems like an alright compromise to me. The only problem I had with it was that it was electron. What did it make harder for you?
The best ones I have found for Linux are SmartGit and Sublime Merge, but neither are free in any sense. Sublime Merge is slightly cheaper. SmartGit offers a free “hobby license” but it limits which kinds of repos you can work with.
Gitkraken looks like it might be good but I haven’t used it.
I hate coding on Windows, maybe I’ll check that out. (My only option is Windows for my work laptop because I need to use a few Windows-only softwares and IT says I’m not allowed to dual boot)
After the last windows update WSL gives me a BSoD every time 😭 Pretty sure IT wouldn’t appreciate me running Ubuntu off a USB drive but that’s a good idea.
I use the right tool for the job, always. If all I need is to push a branch, then I’d rather use a UI that quickly shows me the changes in a nice diff layout. If I’m doing a pull request review and want to run it locally, I select the branch, pull, and go.
That said, when there are conflicts or tricky merges, or I want to squash a bunch of commits, anything like that, I’ll use the CLI.
It’s not about being above GitHub desktop or being an enlightened CLI user. It is about using the tool that is needed.
I’ve only been writing and releasing software for 15 years, what do I know.
That said, use whatever workflow fits you best! If that’s your hands never leaving the keyboard, rock on! If you instead write code like you’re playing an FPS, enjoy! We all do this because we like it, right? 😊
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