Git Basics

Learning about git basics in class was really eye opening because before then, I was not aware of how it really worked besides the basic commands I had to use for my classes beforehand. Whenever I use git, sometimes it feels like if I do something wrong then I’d severely ruin whatever structure I have, but now I feel a bit more confident after seeing it in action more. Going over the working directory, staging area, and repository really helped me visualize how git works. When I started using git, I was under the assumption that all I needed to do was use git commit, and everything would just magically show up in a (remote) repository, aka Github. Using commands like git add, commit, and push eventually became natural to me at some point, but I still didn’t know what exactly they did. I think understanding the process better now will really help me out when it comes to figuring out issues that may come up while using git, since I’ll really know what’s going on, where to look, and how to do it this time. It was also really helpful learning new commands like reset, restore, checkout, etc. I did a little practice on my own to get more comfortable with using it, and will eventually do more to strengthen my skills in it.

Open Source Projects

I was pleasantly surprised when viewing my peers’ presentations on their projects. They were all really creative in my opinion, and all have their own unique ideas that make them interesting.

Team 1: Color1ze

I think this project is simple yet interesting. I like the color gradient and think that if more features were added like controlling what colors are used or the speed, then it could be a really fun extension to use when you want to spice up text.

Team 2: Virtual Pet

I really loved this project because it reminded me Tamagotchi’s and other virtual pet games. With some extra features added, I can really see a lot of people using the extension as a fun little game to keep track of.

Team 3: Website Time Tracker

This project is very useful, especially now when there’s so many social media sites that try to grab your attention from everywhere. If this project gets more fleshed out, I really see it becoming popular.

Team 4: Meowtivation

This is a cute project that I think is pretty useful for studying since it’s very easy to get stressed out over long studying periods, and having a fun little break can’t hurt.

Team 5: Quick Notes

Like the website time tracker, I think this is very useful especially because of its markdown and LaTex support. I could see myself using this in my previous classes, where there were a lot of equations that were difficult to copy down in a word processor.

Team 6: I Did That

A simple, yet funny extension that I was most definitely not expecting to see presented. I can see it being used in various memes, especially with the current political climate.

Team 7: Browser Scroller

This one is extremely useful, and I could see it being used in offices or places where information needs to be displayed like the presenters said.

Team 8: GitHelper

I like this one a lot, and would’ve definitely gotten good use out of it when I was learning git. I think with adding a few more features and commands, it could be a very powerful tool for beginners.

Team 10: Currency Unit Converter

This is a great tool for those shopping on domains that have different currencies or just converting general things while surfing the internet. I definitely see myself using this because there were many times where I had to convert things either manually or by opening a new tab to search the conversion.

Takeaways

After working with a group, I definitely feel more comfortable in working in that sort of setting. It helped me see how work should be balanced and really helped with communication. Overall, all of the extensions presented by my peers are really good and have real world applications. Given more time, these extensions can definitely grow into larger open source projects and can become used widely.