Appendix - Git Bash

Scientific Computing on Windows

• Bash is a nearly universally standard for command line usage.
• Windows built-in cmd.exe and PowerShell are necessary for Windows to run properly, but rarely used in a computing context.
• Git, an extremely popular command line utility used in bash, provides “Git Bash” for Windows users to have access to bash scripting.

Why Git Bash?

• It’s relatively easy to setup and integrates well with Windows.

Why not Git Bash?

• Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is better in every way except that beginning users often struggle to keep track of where files are.
• It is also a bit harder to install.
• If at all possible, use WSL by following that tutorial.

Requirements

• You may have it already, but download Window Terminal from the Microsoft Store.
• Download (but do not yet install) Git for Windows from Git SCM.

Installing Git

• We will install git, perhaps the most used command line utility, and bash at the same time.
• We will go step-by-step through the “Git for Windows” installer to do so.

1. Accept License

• When you open “Git for Windows” you will be prompted to accept the “GNU General Public License”
• This license is what ensures “Git for Windows” is free.
• You may read it, but it is well studied and trustworthy.
• I click “Next” to move on.

2. Select Components

This is critical

You must select “Add a Git Bash Profile to Windows Terminal”

• This box let’s us use bash directly on Windows!
• Probably no other boxes affect you, but I like “Windows Explorer integration -> Open Git Bash here” which I use often.

3. Default Editor

• While not required, I configure Neovim to be my default editor.
• It is quite likely that you do this by:
  • Selecting “Select other editor as Git’s default editor”
  • Browsing to “C:Files”
  • Selecting “nvim.exe”
• I find this much nicer than any alternative.
  • Next best is probably Notepad++

Aside

• I leave everything else on defaults.

4. Initial Branch

• This is out of scope for now.
• “Let Git decide” is fine.

Note

The language we use to describe computing matters, and GitHub is working to make their language more accurate, precise, and inclusive. Read more

5. SSH executable

• We’ll cover SSH in more depth latter.
• I leave as default “Use bundled OpenSSH”

6. OpenSSL library

• I leave as default “Use the OpenSSL library”
• I cover OpenSSL in a bit more detail in cryptography courses.

7. Line Endings

• Versus MacOS, Windows notes the end of lines of text in a novel way.
• I almost always find this annoying!
• I “Checkout as-is, commit Unix-style line encodings”
• Why? I don’t like that Windows doesn’t follow standards.
• This doesn’t really matter.

8. Terminal Emulator

• We will use Windows Terminal regardless.
  • I select “Use Windows’ default console window” - which is not Windows Terminal - but is expected to become Windows Terminal someday.
  • Windows is confusing!

9. git pull

• I leave the default “Fast-forward or merge”
• By the time this matters to you, you will know how to not use defaults.

10. Credential Helper

This is critical

You must select “Git Credential Manager”

• It is otherwise quite difficult to manage passwords when we get there.

11. Extra Options

• I do use “Enable file system caching” but I don’t know that I would recommend it.
• No options is fine here!

Finishing up

• At this time, you may need to close any terminal windows you have open.
• Save your work (:w) first!

Install

• You should get an install progress bar.

Completion

• I uncheck both boxes and close the installer.
• I open Windows Terminal and click the downward facing arrow button next to the “plus” symbol button after my last tab.
• I select “Git Bash”
• I try ls
  • You should see multiple filenames per line and no other information (Bash ls).
  • If you see dates and times, it is still Windows PowerShell.
    • Go over these instructions again, or ask for help!