GitHub Desktop

I have been using GitHub Desktop for years now and it’s one of my favorite development tools. Desktop has evolved over the years from an interface for git commands to the command center for development.

• Project manager. I can open terminal, my text editor, the repository on github.com, or the current branch on github.com right from Desktop.
• Co-authors. With one click, I can add co-authors to commits while pairing or when I receive a suggestion from a colleague.
• Atomic commits. I can build up atomic commits in my pull request thanks to Desktop’s tools for discarding, reordering, and squashing commits.
• Forks. When cloning a fork, Desktop asks if I will be contributing to the parent project or working on my own. It will then manage the fork behavior by setting the upstream branch.
• Manage untracked changes. When I’m working between projects and I need to switch branches, Desktop will ask if I want to bring or leave my changes (stash). This is also helpful if I find a branch is growing to large, I can quickly switch changes to another branch.
• Rerun checks. Instead of switching to github.com to rerun the checks on a pull request, I can do it from Desktop.

My favorite part of Desktop has always been the ability to see exactly what I’m doing in a meaningful way.