simplify explanations of git diff head

[erinmgraham]

These changes follow on from discussion in PR #1116 try to make more clear the variability in the git diff command depending on how it's used. Ep 04: The first time it's used happens before we discuss staging, so best leave the explanation out. Once staging is explained we can discuss what it's comparing. Ep 05: Modified to focus on HEAD as an identifier and not diff differences.

Closes #1080

[github-actions]

Thank you!

Thank you for your pull request 😃

🤖 This automated message can help you check the rendered files in your submission for clarity. If you have any questions, please feel free to open an issue in {sandpaper}.

If you have files that automatically render output (e.g. R Markdown), then you should check for the following:

• 🎯 correct output
• 🖼️ correct figures
• ❓ new warnings
• ‼️ new errors

Rendered Changes

🔍 Inspect the changes: https://github.com/swcarpentry/git-novice/compare/md-outputs..md-outputs-PR-1118

The following changes were observed in the rendered markdown documents:

 04-changes.md | 16 ++++------------
 05-history.md | 14 ++++++++------
 md5sum.txt    |  4 ++--
 3 files changed, 14 insertions(+), 20 deletions(-)

What does this mean?

If you have source files that require output and figures to be generated (e.g. R Markdown), then it is important to make sure the generated figures and output are reproducible.

This output provides a way for you to inspect the output in a diff-friendly manner so that it's easy to see the changes that occur due to new software versions or randomisation.

⏱️ Updated at 2026-04-10 08:02:06 +0000