The article describes a "parse_git_branch" shell function for use in a shell prompt. A much better function is included with git's completion script and is called "__git_ps1".

It can be found in /etc/bash_completion.d/git if you installed git using apt-get or something similar. It lives at contrib/completion/git-completion.bash in the git source tree:

https://raw.github.com/git/git/master/contrib/completion/git...

In addition to "__git_ps1", you also get amazing tab-completion for git commands when you source it. Here's how I use it in my prompt. There are simpler examples in the script itself.

    export GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATE=yes
    export GIT_PS1_SHOWSTASHSTATE=yes
    export GIT_PS1_SHOWUNTRACKEDFILES=yes

    git_prompt='$(__git_ps1 " \[\033[0;34m\](\[\033[00m\]\[\033[01;32m\]%s\[\033[00m\]\[\033[0;34m\])\[\033[00m\]")'

    PS1="\n\[\033[0;34m\]# \[\033[1;32m\]\u\[\033[0;34m\]@\[\033[1;32m\]\h\[\033[0;34m\]:\[\033[1;32m\]\w\[\033[1;32m\]$git_prompt\n\[\033[1;36m\]%\[\033[0;39m\] "