Overview

The Problem

• We want to do some technical writing, collaboratively.
• We want to be able to keep track of all of our contributions and changes.
• We want to easily publish that information at the end.

A Solution

The proposed solution is to use a combination of Git, GitHub, Microsoft Visual Studio Code, and Markdown as a system that can help accomplish the above goals.

• Git is source control software. It allows us to keep track of changes to our files over time by making a series of “snapshots.”
• GitHub is a service that makes Git easier to use, particularly when it comes to collaborating and sharing with others.
• Markdown is a simple set of rules that we follow when writing. It allows us to focus on writing well-organized text that’s easy to read, edit, and share.
• Visual Studio Code allows us to easily edit text (including Markdown text). It also integrates very well with Git and GitHub.

While this collection of tools is typically used for writing and managing code, they can be really useful for any kind of writing project.

Getting Started

1. Setting Up
2. Writing in Markdown
3. Intro to Visual Studio Code (in progress)
4. Git and GitHub Basics (in progress)
5. Using Git and GitHub inside VS Code (in progress)

Example Workflows

• Writing alone (in progress)
• A couple of researchers writing together (in progress)
• Writing with a larger group of collaborators (in progress)

Publishing

• Using GitHub Pages to publish a website