lesson_2_reflections.txt

What happens when you initialize a repository? Why do you need to do it?
 Git makes a .Git directory where the repository history is stored.
 
How is the staging area different from the working directory and the repository? What value do you think it offers?
 It is a place where files are added from the working directory so that they can commit all at once to the repository.
 
How can you use the staging area to make sure you have one commit per logical change?
 using git diff [no argument], git diff --staged, and git status
 
What are some situations when branches would be helpful in keeping your history organized? How would branches help?
 When it is particularly usefull to have 2 'current' versions, which might merge later. Branches help by keeping the old version 'working'.
 
How do the diagrams help you visualize the branch structure?
 They show the branches in such a graphical way that it is very easy to see which commits are linked to each other.
 
What is the result of merging two branches together? Why do we represent it in the diagram the way we do?
 It combines the results of two branches, to a single branch.
 
What are the pros and cons of Git’s automatic merging vs. always doing merges manually?
 It automatically recognizes which parts of files should be present in the new version. 
 You don't have to go through hundreds of lines of code manually to get copy and paste the most recent version.