prompt-clone.Rmd

# (PART) Activity prompts {-} 

# Clone a repo {#clone}

Clone someone else's repository on GitHub where you just want a copy. But you also want to track its evolution. That is what differentiates a GitHub clone from, say, simply downloading the ZIP archive at a specific point in time.

Pick a GitHub repository that interests you. Inspiration:

  * an R package you care about
  * a data analytic project you find interesting
    - Example: The GitHub repo that underpins [Polygraphing's blog post](http://polygraph.cool/films/) analyzing 2,000 screenplays is here: <https://github.com/brandles/scripts>
    - Example: FiveThirtyEight shared the data and code behind their [Gun Deaths in America](http://fivethirtyeight.com/gun-deaths/) project on GitHub: <https://github.com/fivethirtyeight/guns-data>. Have a look around their other repos as well.
    
Create a new RStudio Project from this GitHub repo. Refresh your memory of how to do that by re-visiting our "GitHub first" workflow in chapter \@ref(new-github-first).
    
Once you have the code locally, try to run some of it. Try to understand how it works.

Do you want to make a change? Fine do that!

Do you want to send changes back to the original author? Now you have firsthand knowledge of when you should *fork instead of clone*. See chapter \@ref(fork-and-clone).