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Keith Ostertag
16,619 PointsIs using the "Workspace" required, or simply a convenience? In other words, can I use a different setup entirely?
My home setup uses Linux with an x windows system and the i3 tiling window manager- doesn't work like MS Windows and doesn't allow me to see things exactly the way the tutorials show. That's OK with me- but will there be a point in my progress through the courses where not using the "Workspace" will hinder me (for instance for evaluation or functionality), or is the "Workspace" simply a convenience for students who don't have their own working environment?
3 Answers
Jennifer Nordell
Treehouse TeacherI would say this: I've done quite a few courses here on Treehouse and I've yet to come across a course that has a workspace that cannot be done on a local environment. It's my opinion that this is set up for students as a convenience instead of having to get these environments installed and working properly before beginning to code. I have, however seen courses that do not have a workspace and require you to set up your own environment. I think that you will be ultimately better off learning if you can do this without workspaces (although I do like them). Also, it might be nice to get some experience with git and github during this phase. Hope this helps!
Jay Padzensky
4,731 PointsHey Keith,
Good question. The simplest answer is "no, use whatever you want." The expanded answer is whether its Workspaces or some other text editor, it's a very good idea to follow along coding with the tutorials. One improves to code by coding, so even if you're merely copying from the teacher, you're developing the base upon which you'll grow your coding skills.
Workspaces is very convenient because it's accessible, simple, and introduced as a non-overwhelming environment for novice coders to begin coding. With WS, we're able to demonstrate coding via tutorials and have the students see/re-create exactly what they see on the screen to remove any hint of confusion (from myriad sources). So if you're comfortable with your own environment, it's just recommend you follow along, however that may be. Thanks, I hope this helps!
Keith Ostertag
16,619 PointsThank you Jay and Jennifer- that helpfully answers my question and I appreciate it :-)