> Git is a distributed system, where every user gets their own repository, so "commit" alters the repository on the local machine. This means you can use version control with impunity and not worry about giving bad code to colleagues. You can commit a broken work-in-progress without harming anything. You can also create branches with impunity and not have to worry about naming conflicts, polluting the space of branch names, etc. If something turns out to be a bad idea, you just zap it and nobody ever has to know.

I can do all those things without involving the source control system, so what do I get by involving the source control system? For example, why would I want to commit broken code? What does a local commit do for me?

In most cases, "distributed" is a necessary evil that folks work to hide, with varying degrees of success.