Version-Control on emsenn.net

Git as Provenance Structure

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Git is a version control system. It is also, read differently, a provenance structure: an immutable record of what was done, when, by whom, and building on what prior work. This lesson reads git’s data model through that lens, connecting its design to the formal concept of provenance in the Interactive Semioverse.

¶Git’s data model

Git stores four kinds of objects, all content-addressed (identified by cryptographic hash) [@chacon_ProGit_2014]:

Branching and Merging

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Branches let you develop changes in parallel. Merging integrates a branch into another branch, resolving conflicts as needed.

Good practice is to keep branches focused and merge them in small, reviewable units.

Commit Messages

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Commit messages should describe the change and its purpose in a concise form. They help collaborators and future readers understand why a change happened.

Use Git Basics

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Check status with git status before and after changes.
Stage relevant files with git add.
Commit changes with a descriptive message.
Pull before pushing when collaborating.

What is Git?

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Git is a distributed version control system that records changes as commits.

It supports branching and merging so multiple lines of work can progress in parallel and be combined later.