title: Why would I want stage before committing in Git?
body: <p>I'm new to version control and I understand that "committing" is essentially creating a backup while updating the new 'current' version of what you're working on.</p>
  
  <p>What I don't understand is what staging for is from a practical perspective. Is staging something that exists in name only or does it serve a purpose? When you commit, its going to commit everything anyway, right?</p>
  
  <p>Edit: I think I may be confusing the terminology. Is a 'staged' file the same thing as a 'tracked' file?</p>