What's a version control system and how do I get started using one?
user
A version control system, or VCS, is a piece of software designed to track changes in a codebase. Properly using a VCS allows you or other developers to revert to previous versions of your software, keep track of who makes what changes, modify and refactor code without worrying about ruining it, and generally have a better grasp over your entire codebase. The most popular version control system is git. I can walk you through installing git if you'd like, but here are the steps to using it once you have it installed:
1. Open a terminal emulator in the directory you wish to be managed by git
2. Initialize a git repository by running:
```
git init
```
3. A git repository should now exist at the location your terminal was pointed to, but it does not yet contain the files in your project.
4. To stage and add the files currently present in your project, run the following commands:
```
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
```
If this is your first time using git, it may ask you to provide some personal details to include with your commits.
5. You now have a git repository with a single branch and a single commit containing all the files of your project.
assistant
Thanks for explaining it! Could you maybe shorten it a bit?
user
A version control system is a piece of software which tracks changes in a codebase. It allows developers greater freedom in developing by allowing them to revisit previous iterations of the software, track who makes changes, and make changes to the code without fear of breaking it. The most popular version control system is git.
assistant