lesson_3_reflection_prompts.txt

When would you want to use a remote repository rather than keeping all your work
local?

  In order to share it with other people, and as a backup in case of data loss.

Why might you want to always pull changes manually rather than having Git
automatically stay up-to-date with your remote repository?

 So that changes made by other people won't automatically be added to your local repo.

Describe the differences between forks, clones, and branches.  When would you
use one instead of another?

    Clones are copies of a repo, branches track code changes that diverge from the master branch within a repo, and forks are copies of a repo on Github that link back to the original.

What is the benefit of having a copy of the last known state of the remote
stored locally?

    So you can compare the remote and local versions. Also, useful when you're offline but still want to work with both repos (eg, on a plane).

How would you collaborate without using Git or GitHub?  What would be easier,
and what would be harder?

    Perhaps by emailing files back and forth. Tracking changes and merging would be much more difficult. I don't see any way it would be easier.

When would you want to make changes in a separate branch rather than directly in
master?  What benefits does each approach have?

    Using a seaprate branch let's you experiment with a change without actually making it canonical in master. This is especially useful for collaboration, where one person maintains the master branch and other individuals can submit changes by creating new branches and submitting pull requests.