Git tips / diff3 by Ciro Santilli 37 Updated 2025-07-16
diff3 conflict is basically what you always want to see, either by setting it as the default as per stackoverflow.com/questions/27417656/should-diff3-be-default-conflictstyle-on-git:
git config --global merge.conflictstyle diff3
or as a one off:
git checkout --conflict=diff3
With this, conflicts now show up as:
++<<<<<<< HEAD
 +5
++||||||| parent of 7b0f59d (6)
++3
++=======
+ 6
++>>>>>>> 7b0f59d (6)
7b0f59d is the SHA-2 of commit 6.
instead of the inferior default:
++<<<<<<< ours
 +5
++=======
+ 6
++>>>>>>> theirs
We can also observe the current tree state during resolution:
* b4ec057 (HEAD, master) 5
* 0b37c1b 4
| * fbfbfe8 (my-feature) 7
| * 7b0f59d 6
|/
* 661cfab 3
* 6d748a9 2
* c5f8a2c 1
so we understand that we are now at 5 and that we are trying to apply our commit 6
So it is much clearer what is happening:
  • master changed the code from 3 to 5
  • our feature changed the code from 3 to 6
and so now we have to decide what the new code is that will put both of these together.
Let's say we decide it is 5 + 6 = 11 and continue rebasing:
git add .
git rebase --continue
We now reach:
++<<<<<<< HEAD
 +11
++||||||| parent of fbfbfe8 (7)
++6
++=======
+ 7
++>>>>>>> fbfbfe8 (7)
and the tree looks like:
* ca7f7ff (HEAD) 6
* b4ec057 (master) 5
* 0b37c1b 4
| * fbfbfe8 (my-feature) 7
| * 7b0f59d 6
|/
* 661cfab 3
* 6d748a9 2
* c5f8a2c 1
So we understand that:
  • after the previous step we added commit 6 on top of 5
  • now we are adding 7 on top of the new 6 (which we decided would contain 11)
and after resolving that one we now reach:
* e1aaf20 (HEAD -> my-feature) 7
* ca7f7ff 6
* b4ec057 (master) 5
* 0b37c1b 4
* 661cfab 3
* 6d748a9 2
* c5f8a2c 1
These are good free newbie GUI options:
sudo apt install meld
git mergetool --tool meld

sudo apt install kdiff3
git mergetool --tool kdiff3
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cirosantilli/media/master/meld.png
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cirosantilli/media/master/kdiff3.png
Let's make a more interesting conflict:
git-tips-2.sh
#!/usr/bin/env bash

set -eux

add() (
  rm -f f
  for i in `seq 10`; do
    printf "before $i\n\n" >> f
  done
  printf "conflict 1 $1\n\n" >> f
  for i in `seq 10`; do
    printf "middle $i\n\n" >> f
  done
  printf "conflict 2 $2\n\n" >> f
  for i in `seq 10`; do
    printf "after $i\n\n" >> f
  done
  git add f
)

rm -rf git-tips-2
mkdir git-tips-2
cd git-tips-2
git init

for i in 1 2 3; do
  add $i $i
  git commit -m $i
done

add 3 4
git commit -m 4

add 5 4
git commit -m 5

git checkout HEAD~2
git checkout -b my-feature

add 3 6
git commit -m 6

add 7 6
git commit -m 7
git rebase does not tell you that, and that sucks.
We only know which commit from the feature branch caused the problem.
Generally we can guess or it is not needed, but imerge does look promising: stackoverflow.com/questions/18162930/how-can-i-find-out-which-git-commits-cause-conflicts
Web technology by Ciro Santilli 37 Updated 2025-07-16
Old cheat on separate repo: web.
Now moving to either:
  • separate files under: web-cheat/ for the boring stuff
  • subsections under this section for the more exciting stuff!
Video 1.
Why web tech is like this by Steve Sanderson (2022)
Source.
Webdev's Creed by Ciro Santilli 37 Updated 2025-07-16
This is my stack. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
My stack is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.
Without me, my stack is useless. Without my stack, I am useless. I must fire my requests true. I must shoot straighter than my hackers who are trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will ...
My stack is human, even as I am human, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its ORMs and its asset bundlers. I will keep my stack clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will ...
Before God, I swear this creed. My stack and I are the defenders of my website. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.
So be it, until victory is mine and there is no enemy, but peace!
Explanation: this is an allusion to the Rifleman's Creed. This particular version talks about the website stack chosen for a website, i.e. the libraries used.
Ciro Santilli has always felt that choosing a stack is an almost religious choice. It is perhaps part of why the prayer style of the original Rifleman's Creed resonates with the web stack choice.
It is very hard to know how things are going go, the ups and downs, before putting big hours into it.
And once you start, it is hard, though not impossible, to move away.
The same allusion would make sense with any complex library choice, but it is particularly apparent in web development since there are so many different web stacks to choose from. A bit like rifles, they are all somewhat fungible, though of course not as much.
HTML canvas by Ciro Santilli 37 Updated 2025-07-16
Allows us to draw with JavaScript pixel by pixel! Great way to create computational physics demos!
Here is an animation demo with some useful controls:
HTML snippet:
new class extends OurbigbookCanvasDemo {
  init() {
    super.init('hello');
    this.pixel_size_input = this.addInputAfterEnable(
      'Pixel size',
      {
        'min': 1,
        'type': 'number',
        'value': 1,
      }
    );
  }
  draw() {
    var pixel_size = parseInt(this.pixel_size_input.value);
    for (var x = 0; x < this.width; x += pixel_size) {
      for (var y = 0; y < this.height; y += pixel_size) {
        var b = ((1.0 + Math.sin(this.time * Math.PI / 16)) / 2.0);
        this.ctx.fillStyle =
          'rgba(' +
          (x / this.width) * 255 + ',' +
          (y / this.height) * 255 + ',' +
          b * 255 +
          ',255)'
        ;
        this.ctx.fillRect(x, y, pixel_size, pixel_size);
      }
    }
  }
}
WebGL by Ciro Santilli 37 Updated 2025-07-16
HTML snippet:
new class extends OurbigbookCanvasDemo {
  init() {
    super.init('webgl', {context_type: 'webgl'});
    this.ctx.viewport(0, 0, this.ctx.drawingBufferWidth, this.ctx.drawingBufferHeight);
    this.ctx.clearColor(0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0);
    this.vertexShaderSource = `
#version 100
precision highp float;
attribute float position;
void main() {
  gl_Position = vec4(position, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0);
  gl_PointSize = 64.0;
}
`;

    this.fragmentShaderSource = `
#version 100
precision mediump float;
void main() {
  gl_FragColor = vec4(0.18, 0.0, 0.34, 1.0);
}
`;
    this.vertexShader = this.ctx.createShader(this.ctx.VERTEX_SHADER);
    this.ctx.shaderSource(this.vertexShader, this.vertexShaderSource);
    this.ctx.compileShader(this.vertexShader);
    this.fragmentShader = this.ctx.createShader(this.ctx.FRAGMENT_SHADER);
    this.ctx.shaderSource(this.fragmentShader, this.fragmentShaderSource);
    this.ctx.compileShader(this.fragmentShader);
    this.program = this.ctx.createProgram();
    this.ctx.attachShader(this.program, this.vertexShader);
    this.ctx.attachShader(this.program, this.fragmentShader);
    this.ctx.linkProgram(this.program);
    this.ctx.detachShader(this.program, this.vertexShader);
    this.ctx.detachShader(this.program, this.fragmentShader);
    this.ctx.deleteShader(this.vertexShader);
    this.ctx.deleteShader(this.fragmentShader);
    if (!this.ctx.getProgramParameter(this.program, this.ctx.LINK_STATUS)) {
      console.log('error ' + this.ctx.getProgramInfoLog(this.program));
      return;
    }
    this.ctx.enableVertexAttribArray(0);
    var buffer = this.ctx.createBuffer();
    this.ctx.bindBuffer(this.ctx.ARRAY_BUFFER, buffer);
    this.ctx.vertexAttribPointer(0, 1, this.ctx.FLOAT, false, 0, 0);
    this.ctx.useProgram(this.program);
  }
  draw() {
    this.ctx.clear(this.ctx.COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
    this.ctx.bufferData(this.ctx.ARRAY_BUFFER, new Float32Array([Math.sin(this.time / 60.0)]), this.ctx.STATIC_DRAW);
    this.ctx.drawArrays(this.ctx.POINTS, 0, 1);
  }
}
LGM-30 Minuteman by Ciro Santilli 37 Updated 2025-07-16
Ah, the choice of name, both grim and slightly funny, Dr. Strangelove comes to mind quite strongly. Also Fallout (franchise).
Video 1.
The $130B Plan to Replace the U.S.’s Nuclear Missiles by The Wall Street Journal
. Source.
https://web.archive.org/web/20230321151835im_/https://minutemanmissile.com/images/HICSCableCloseUp.jpg
https://web.archive.org/web/20230321151835im_/https://minutemanmissile.com/images/HICSCableSplicerTwo.jpg
https://web.archive.org/web/20230321151835im_/https://minutemanmissile.com/images/HICSCableConnectivitySchematic.jpg

Pinned article: Introduction to the OurBigBook Project

Welcome to the OurBigBook Project! Our goal is to create the perfect publishing platform for STEM subjects, and get university-level students to write the best free STEM tutorials ever.
Everyone is welcome to create an account and play with the site: ourbigbook.com/go/register. We belive that students themselves can write amazing tutorials, but teachers are welcome too. You can write about anything you want, it doesn't have to be STEM or even educational. Silly test content is very welcome and you won't be penalized in any way. Just keep it legal!
We have two killer features:
  1. topics: topics group articles by different users with the same title, e.g. here is the topic for the "Fundamental Theorem of Calculus" ourbigbook.com/go/topic/fundamental-theorem-of-calculus
    Articles of different users are sorted by upvote within each article page. This feature is a bit like:
    • a Wikipedia where each user can have their own version of each article
    • a Q&A website like Stack Overflow, where multiple people can give their views on a given topic, and the best ones are sorted by upvote. Except you don't need to wait for someone to ask first, and any topic goes, no matter how narrow or broad
    This feature makes it possible for readers to find better explanations of any topic created by other writers. And it allows writers to create an explanation in a place that readers might actually find it.
    Figure 1.
    Screenshot of the "Derivative" topic page
    . View it live at: ourbigbook.com/go/topic/derivative
  2. local editing: you can store all your personal knowledge base content locally in a plaintext markup format that can be edited locally and published either:
    This way you can be sure that even if OurBigBook.com were to go down one day (which we have no plans to do as it is quite cheap to host!), your content will still be perfectly readable as a static site.
    Figure 2.
    You can publish local OurBigBook lightweight markup files to either https://OurBigBook.com or as a static website
    .
    Figure 3.
    Visual Studio Code extension installation
    .
    Figure 4.
    Visual Studio Code extension tree navigation
    .
    Figure 5.
    Web editor
    . You can also edit articles on the Web editor without installing anything locally.
    Video 3.
    Edit locally and publish demo
    . Source. This shows editing OurBigBook Markup and publishing it using the Visual Studio Code extension.
    Video 4.
    OurBigBook Visual Studio Code extension editing and navigation demo
    . Source.
  3. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook-media/master/feature/x/hilbert-space-arrow.png
  4. Infinitely deep tables of contents:
    Figure 6.
    Dynamic article tree with infinitely deep table of contents
    .
    Descendant pages can also show up as toplevel e.g.: ourbigbook.com/cirosantilli/chordate-subclade
All our software is open source and hosted at: github.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook
Further documentation can be found at: docs.ourbigbook.com
Feel free to reach our to us for any help or suggestions: docs.ourbigbook.com/#contact