AE 00: Make a Github
Introduction
Normally, these AEs will contain coding practice assignments. However, before you’re able to start coding, you will need a Github account.
In tomorrow’s lecture (and throughout the rest of the class), you will learn more about how GitHub works. For now, understand that GitHub is like the Google Drive of coding. You can upload files, track changes over time, and work with others without overwriting each other’s work.
In this class, we will have a GitHub organization so that:
Everyone has a central place to both access and work on course materials (AEs, labs, project, etc.)
We can see your progress, give help, and review changes over time.
You learn to use tools that are standard in data science, research, and industry.
If you’ve never coded before, it might not be clear why we need something specialized and can’t just use a Google Drive (or Box, or iCloud, or similar). I think that this becomes more clear as you dive into coding, but the long story very short is that you aren’t typing code into a word document. You’re using and running special code files, and normal drives are not properly equipped to handle these.
Create a GitHub account
Tomorrow, we will give a more detailed introduction to using GitHub. But, in order for you to access the course organization, you need an account, and we need to add your username to the list of users with access.
Go to https://github.com/ and walk through the steps for creating an account. You do not have to use your Duke email address, but I recommend doing so.1
You’ll need to choose a user name. I recommend reviewing the user name advice at https://happygitwithr.com/github-acct#username-advice before choosing a username.
If you already have a GitHub account, you do not need to create a new one for this course. Just log in to that account to make sure you still remember your username and password. If you are unsure of your login credentials, carefully follow GitHub’s instructions for recovering this information. If you accumulate too many failed login attempts, you will be locked out of your account for the day.
Footnotes
GitHub has some perks for students you can take advantage of later in the course or in your future work, and it helps to have a .edu address to get verified as a student. However, this is still possible even if you use a different email!↩︎