title: Why does my 'git branch' have no master?
body: <p>I'm a git newbie and I keep reading about a "master" branch. Is "master" just a conventional name that people used or does it have special meaning like <code>HEAD</code>?</p>
  
  <p>When I do <code>git branch</code> on the clone that I have, I only see 1 single branch - the one I'm on. No "master" at all. If I type <code>git checkout master</code> (as I see in alot of tutorials or guides), I get</p>
  
  <pre><code>error: pathspec 'master' did not match any file(s) known to git.
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I'm just confused as to why my clone doesn't have a <code>master</code> that everyone seems to imply that it always exists.</p>