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Git and GitHub setup

Setting up Git and GitHub utilities

Git is the world’s most popular version control system. GitHub is a cloud service that hosts shared code repositories.

We will setup these and then delve further.

Git installation

Git is available for all operating systems.

  • On Mac: Open a Terminal and run git --version. If git is already installed, you will see something like git version 2.39.5 (Apple Git-154).You will be prompted to install git if you do not have it.
  • Lab computers: Should already have git installed. Run git --version from a Terminal and you should see a verison number like git version 2.49.0.windows.1. If not, let the instructor know.
  • Windows: Follow the instructions on this page.

Git configuration

Close any open Terminals. Run the following in a new Terminal.

git config --global user.name "John Doe"  # Put your real name
git config --global user.email johndoe@example.com  # Put a permanent email here

You only run these once when you install Git.

GitHub set up

We will use GitHub in this class to remotely store versions of our code. Many organizations use GitHub to store their code, including many popular open source projects.

Use a permanent, personal email account to register for a free GitHub account at https://github.com. You will eventually lose access to your UNCW email, but you will want to access your GitHub account long after you graduate.

That’s all you need to do for now. We will use GitHub soon.

1 - Git setup for Windows

These instructions are to set up Git on a personal Windows computer.

  1. Download 64-bit Git for Windows Setup from https://git-scm.com/downloads/win
  2. Run the installer. You will keep the default options, except for the following:
  • On the Choosing the default editor for Git screen, I recommend that you pick an editor that you are somewhat familiar with, like Notepad.
  • On the Adjusting the name of the initial branch in new repositories screen, select the bottom option:

Leave the remaining options set to their defaults. When done, return to the Git Configuration section in the Git install lab.