Git Hub Streaks
I first joined Github in 2018 to probably use it to register for some software. At the time I used to think it was a just social media for programmers. I had no clue about git or about repos yet.
What is Github?
For those of you who don’t know what Github is, its like a vault that contains code repositories, which are just like folders that contain certain code. Anyone can publish their code publicly or privately. Github is essential for any programmer who needs to collaborate with other programmers on any software. It has also become the primary home for most of the world’s open source code.
What are Streaks?
Usually the first thing you notice about someone’s Github profile are the gray/green tiles that get greener the more you contribute on that day. If your contributions are back to back, your streaks increase.
Is there any Value to Streaking on Github?
My Github usage evolved over time, but the more I got engrossed in coding, I kept on wondering what do the best programmers look like, or at least what does their Github look like. World famous programmers such as Andjrej Karpathy, founder at Open AI, and George Hotz, founder of Comma Ai, have some of the most starred repos, but also contribute consistently over time. Other programmers like Chris Lattner, founder of LLVM (a tool to make compilers), also have a high contribution rate.
It goes to say that contributing code consistently on GitHub is a trait amongst top programmers in the world. I deduced that if I consistently contribute, even if I had nothing in particular to contribute to, I potentially could become a better programmer.
I started small with my school assignments, and then just started coding stuff I would learn, and over time I became better. I developed a habit of consistently coding no matter what.
My longest streak has been 130 days so far.
Benefits of Streaking.
Just ask anyone who is on duolingo. Seing those gray tiles turn green is a like a driving force, you just want to keep it up. Overtime I noticed that I become better in many ways
- Code Reviews
- Git
- Collaborating on software
- Contributing to Open Source
I believe that just by showing up consitently to code you can become a better programmer, even if you dont have any grand ideas, or have a certain affinity to any projects.
Keep Coding!