Sessions at Strange Loop 2011 about Tools

Monday 19th September 2011

• A Tale of Three Trees

  by Scott Chacon

  Git is the version control system most of us use every day. However, there are some strangenesses to it. Raise your hand if you really understand the ‘reset’ command. When it comes down to it, this is one of the most interesting, fundamental and amazing commands that Git has, yet nearly everybody is afraid of it. This is just bad marketing. This talk will de-mystify the ‘reset’ command so that you are not only comfortable using it, but can do new and interesting things with it and in doing so will arrive at a better understanding of the entire Git system. We will explore the Three Trees of Git (HEAD, index, work tree) and all the cool and mind-bending fun you can have with them.

  • Git
  • Tools

  At 1:00pm to 1:50pm, Monday 19th September

  In Grand Ballroom, Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark

  Coverage video

• Vim: From Essentials to Mastery

  by Bill Odom

  Vim deserves its reputation as one of the most powerful tools in a developer’s toolbox — but it’s not exactly friendly and approachable. Even long-time users rarely employ more than a fraction of its capabilities, and new users are often left wondering why so many apparently-sane people won’t shut up about how awesome it is. The stark UI, the steep learning curve, the host of idiosyncrasies… mastering Vim is a challenge, and that’s putting it politely.

  In this hands-on session, you’ll learn why it’s worth the effort.

  We’ll quickly review the essentials of Vim, like modes, motions, operators, and commands, with an emphasis on why Vim works the way it instead of just how. With the fundamentals firmly established, we’ll work our way through real-world examples of using Vim to perform astounding feats that poor souls using lesser editors can only imagine. We’ll cover ways to integrate Vim with your environment, tailor it to your work, and generally bend it to your every whim. We’ll discuss important settings, advanced techniques, useful customizations, handy scripts, must-have plugins, crafty tips, and sneaky tricks.

  In short, we’ll explore how to use Vim most effectively, so it lives up to the awesome reputation that you’ll soon be telling all your disbelieving friends about.

  • Tools
  • Vim

  At 2:00pm to 2:50pm, Monday 19th September

  In Gateway 2, Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark

  Coverage slide deck