git-split-diffs VS delta

if i had to recommend 1 app/script that i use daily: https://github.com/banga/git-split-diffs

`karabiner elements` (https://karabiner-elements.pqrs.org/) to disable things like "Apple + Q" -> nothing worse than going to close a single tab and then your whole app quits. also able to re-map caps-lock into escape, ect

`iterm2` for terminal (colored tabs are great; albeit i disable the hell out of many of the options like "clickable urls" ect)

for cli, i try to gnu all-the-things (and i just explode my PATH to the paths `brew` installed dynamically - will try another package manager at a future date)

`sublime text`

`firefox`/`librewolf` + plugins (containers, netmon, request interceptor, dark reader, adnauseam)

This with the UI from https://github.com/banga/git-split-diffs would make the perfect CLI diff tool!

I wrote https://github.com/banga/git-split-diffs mainly to scratch an itch about not having side by side git diffs in the terminal, then ended up adding more fancy features like syntax highlighting and it got somewhat popular.

I actually tried to automate the screenshots for this project's readme using GitHub actions, but struggled to get it to produce the same quality screenshots as my local machine. This is the script I use for now, which has to be invoked manually: https://github.com/banga/git-split-diffs/blob/main/scripts/g...

Many diff tools, such as delta (https://github.com/dandavison/delta) and the ones built into VS Code and IDEs by JetBrains, can configured to highlight changes within each line (by word) and ignore changes to whitespace. Those features save me a lot of time when I review diffs that include indentation changes or variable renames.

delta makes Git diffs easier to inspect.

dandavison/delta

Still waiting for Delta + Difftastic integration:

https://github.com/dandavison/delta/issues/535

building a separate tool with it's own incantations is a tough approach. git supports specifying a pager so folks can plug in alternatives (such as https://github.com/dandavison/delta) while still using familiar the git frontend

sudo apt install -y \ fzf \ fd-find \ ripgrep \ bat \ tmux # eza (modern ls) sudo apt install -y gpg sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/eza-community/eza/main/deb.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/gierens.gpg echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/gierens.gpg] http://deb.gierens.de stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/gierens.list sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y eza # delta (git pager) DELTA_VERSION="0.18.2" wget https://github.com/dandavison/delta/releases/download/${DELTA_VERSION}/git-delta_${DELTA_VERSION}_amd64.deb sudo dpkg -i git-delta_${DELTA_VERSION}_amd64.deb rm git-delta_${DELTA_VERSION}_amd64.deb # mise (version manager) curl https://mise.run | sh # jj (Jujutsu) curl -LsSf https://github.com/jj-vcs/jj/releases/latest/download/jj-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz | tar xzf - -C ~/.local/bin jj # gh (GitHub CLI) curl -fsSL https://cli.github.com/packages/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg | sudo dd of=/usr/share/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg] https://cli.github.com/packages stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/github-cli.list sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y gh # Setup chezmoi and pull your dotfiles sh -c "$(curl -fsLS get.chezmoi.io)" -- init --apply YOUR_GITHUB_USERNAME

Am I the only one who simply doesn't mind Git's CLI?

Sure, it's rough around the edges, but I know those edges well. I sometimes do need to look up how to do something, but those cases are rare. Over the years I've accumulated about a dozen shell aliases and a modest `.gitconfig`, and along with a couple of helper tools[1][2], I can do 90% of what I need Git for in seconds. I truly don't need a fancy TUI, GUI, or any wrappers around Git. Git itself is fine.

I tried Magit a few times, and even though Emacs is my main editor, I couldn't get used to it. It forces the user into doing things the "Magit way", and I'd rather not.

I don't understand the push to replace Git's porcelain with something shinier. If, and when, a better VCS comes along that truly feels like the next step forward, I'll give it a try. In the meantime, Git does the job I need.

[1]: https://github.com/mroth/scmpuff

[2]: https://github.com/dandavison/delta

6. diff → delta (27.4k ⭐)

* Git + https://github.com/dandavison/delta for change management

When I need a debugger or a Git GUI, VScode, but Zed is becoming more and more interesting. These support LLM interaction, but things like Claude Code fit better with the above list.

Explore Delta’s options at its GitHub page.