As I continue to be blessed in the work of compiling roms and kernels, I have had to take a few new steps for me. One of those steps was Github. I am not very Github savvy, and I really struggled with how to push/pull/commit, etc. In fact, it was so daunting that I didn't start posting source code and the like for my kernels or device trees, because I was unable to figure out how to make it work! Then I found a tool that actually made sense to me, Gitkraken.

Gitkraken is a program for your computer which allows you to easily work with Github repositories and files. Originally, I had forked an ArcTeam kernel repository for my personal edits, but I was strugling with the Github web interface. It was extreamly teadious to delete 30+ files, one at a time, online. Finally, I couldn't take the web gui any more, and I began searching for computer programs that would make the interface easier. That's when I found Gitkraken.

All I had to do was download the program from Gitkraken's website: https://www.gitkraken.com/download , and intall it like any other Linux program from the command line:

[CODE]sudo dpkg -i gitkraken-amd64.deb [/CODE]

Note that they do not maintain a 32 bit version for Linux. They do have older versions of Gitkraken that are 32 bit, but those versions I tried do not look or work anything like the current version. Fortunately, my computer is 64 bit, so this was not a problem. Gitkraken is available for Windows and Macintosh also.

In either event, opening the program brought me to a somewhat straight forward setup screen, to which I filled in all of my Github account information. After getting set up, I wanted to open my repo. Gitkraken works with local repositories, and can push/pull them to the online Github, so the first thing I needed was my kernel repository. So I downloaded the zip file from Github for my repository (you don't need to download each branch, just the master worked for me). I put it in a folder I appropriately named "github", and unzipped it. I then realized I could simply choose to clone repo, and download it in one fell swoop!

Once that was done, I then opened that repository with Gitkraken, and that's where things got a whole lot easier! Things that confused me before were now made so simple to comprehend, as I could visually see what was going on. Want to make a pull request? Sure, there's a button for that. Want to compare each commit and see the code that changed? No problem, just click on one. It was that simple! Need to create a new branch? Absolutely, just click the button!

What really made a difference, though, was how easy it was to edit my files. Essentially, I just used a regular browser, made edits in my "github/kernelsource" folder directly to the files. Then, when I opened Gitkraken, it automatically parsed the files and found all of the new changes! All I needed to do was click the "stage", "commit", and "push" buttons, in that order, and presto, my online Github repository was up to date with my new changes!

Finally, a Github tool that is made the way it should be! Sleek, smooth, easy, with lots of functionality, but none of the technical heartburn!

Linux - keep it simple.