I disagree. In my personal experience, learning git took a lot of trial and error, but now whatever terminal I sit down in front of, I know exactly which commands I have to run to do what I want in git. When using a GUI, it's fine for the easy/common stuff, but if I want to do something more complex I have to figure out how to dig through the options provided by the tool to get the result I want.
This insight why git, like other tools, is stupidely designed.
The "wrong" defaults and UX is the DEFAULT, and each USER must learn it.
Meaning:
UX * N Users = Wasted time and money
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If I present you a screenshoot of a (real!) business apps with mis-aligned buttons, some put in weird places that mean different things that them are supposing by their labels, that use non-standard interactions that mix different UI paradigms, with rare color combinations (aka: vomit palette) , all in a SINGLE window (!), you think the solution is resist a better interface? Why we mock "regular" users or their enterprise providers, but somehow can't with ourselves?
I don't know why so many developers live in constant Stockholm syndrome and like it, and resist any suggestion to improve.
When anyone ask me about the tools I use (specially asked when somebody look at me using the terminal), if I liked, i say "No, this is the bad and ancient way, but we are here, stuck on this.."
IMHO, a good git GUI would show exactly what commands are being run (so it is useful as a learning tool) and their result and allow it being used along side the cli.
I use magit extensively and it has all these properties.
If you want to do something more complex, the reasonable answer is usually to delete the directory and clone again.
"Show me the code". Or in this case show me the GUI.
Maybe the problem is just actually hard and the Git we have is the best current solution.
Easy: https://gitup.co
It makes things that are hard or cumbersome in the CLI easy and convenient.
Things I always do because I'm no longer afraid of mistakes:
- split commits at random points
- move commits up or down the branch
- squash commits up or down the branch
- edit commit messages
Less often:
- cherry pick against current branch
- delete branches (local and remote)
There are signinficantly more operations hidden there behind convenient shortcuts, but I don't ever (or very rarely) need them because it makes fixing mistakes so easy. And the only reason for advanced git usage I've seen is fixing mistakes.
IIRC there have been various papers on Git's crappy UI and at least one two rewrites (of the interface). Gitless is the name of one.
Oh, I forgot the most important thingof all: integration with tooling! QtCreator has support and shortcuts for Git with its commands, but not Gitless.
magit
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