Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between Git and GitHub?

A: In a simple analogy, GitHub is like YouTube and Git is like a video. GitHub stores Git repositories (pieces of code that Git manages), while Git stores the actual data of the repositories themselves. GitHub is simply a host for Git repositories, a "hub for Git".


Q: Why is VSCode the standard?

A: VSCode is a very popular code editor, used by most professional software developers. The reason it garnered so much popularity can be attributed to its extensibility, simplicity, and that it's backed by Microsoft. You can easily learn to write extensions for VSCode, as it just requires some JavaScript knowledge. It's simple enough to pick up and learn as a new developer, and it's widely known because Microsoft has put a lot into promoting it.


Q: Where should I place my projects on my hard drive?

A: The answer varies, however I generally recommend placing it in a Projects folder in your home directory. For reference, your home directory is the same folder that houses your Desktop and Documents folders. My reasons are as follows:


  1. It's easy to find and search for. If everything lives in a central spot, you don't need to remember complex paths.
  2. Occasionally, you'll have to type out the full path of a project folder. If that's in your home directory, that's as easy as typing ~/Projects/my-project.
  3. Unless you have an unusual system configuration, you'll never run into permissions issues attempting to execute code or modify files within your home directory.