Introduction 

“We can Fork it before we make any changes to the code.”

Huh?

The obscure sentence was one of several the two developers exchanged as we were going through a development proposal for a new client.

By the end of the session, it felt as if I had the means to compile an entire dictionary of new words, technical references and jargon – most of which I wouldn’t have been able to understand if we were having this meeting several months prior.

Look, if you’ve frequented the tech scene a bit, or have spent some time in the presence of web developers, it’s likely that you may have heard of “Git”, “GitHub” or “BitBucket” at some stage during a conversation. You may have even come across the adorable GitHub logo of an octopus crossed with a kitten floating around the internet:

If you’re a non-techie, like me, and wondered what on earth ”Git” actually is, then you’re not alone. A recent poll of digital marketing managers discovered that despite whilst more than 80% of them had heard of Git before, less than half could even describe what it did or what it was used for. 

In this Lesson, we break down exactly what Git is, and what it’s used for. Then, we will break down some of its associated jargon, so that the next time you’re working with a developer and overhear him say “I’ve just committed the latest changes to GitHub”, you’ll know exactly what he’s talking about.