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A Short History of Git & What is Git?

Goal

Understand why Git was created and what problems it solves.

Key Points

  • Git was created by Linus Torvalds in 2005 for Linux kernel development.
  • Core objectives: speed, data integrity, distributed workflows.
  • Git stores content as snapshots (not diffs), referenced by hashes (SHA-1/SHA-256 in future).
  • Distributed: every clone is a full repository with complete history.
  • Common terms: repository (repo), commit, branch, tag, remote, working tree, index (staging area).

What You Will Use

  • Terminal on Ubuntu 24.04

Check Your Shell and Basic Tools

whoami
uname -a
which git || echo "git not installed yet"

Outcome

You should be able to explain what Git is, why it exists, and the difference between working tree, staging area, and repository.