Welcome to the Treehouse Community
Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.
Looking to learn something new?
Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.
Start your free trial
Hugo Newman
1,544 PointsWhat do you mean by console/terminal? There is a lot of assumed jargon here that is confusing for an absolute beginner..
I'm having trouble understanding where I enter "python -m SimpleHTTPServer 8000". How do I open my "console"? Is this the same thing as the Workspace we're using here? What is the difference between a file and a directory? Also, the first sentence in the video "If you're building a website directly on your computer..." - as opposed to what? How does one do that?
This is all far too jargony for this stage of the course considering what has been covered so far, and it seems to me that this is really important, foundational practical knowledge. I feel like if I move forward from here without understanding all of this, I'll be lost in future lessons.
2 Answers
Steven Parker
231,275 PointsThe Console is the pane at the bottom-right of a workspace window. If it isn't already open, you can go to the "view" menu at the top, and select "Show Console" from the drop-down choices. You can type commands there.
A file is collection of data stored in a computer. It may contain words, picture(s), video, a program (also known as an "app"), or some combination of these.
A directory is a container for grouping files together. It can be empty, or it can contain any number of files and/or other directories.
And other than your own computer, a website might be built on someone else's computer that you pay to use. The computer that the website is created on is called a "host", and the company that owns it is called a "hosting provider" or "service provider". There are many such companies around, one that advertises heavily is "GoDaddy.".
Does that clear things up?
Miguel Ibáñez Picó
1,006 PointsHaving the same problem here, they are explaining html like for a baby but they tell you how to run a local server like you know what you are doing. I'm gonna skip the local server as I could not make it run with the teacher's note explanation
Hugo Newman
1,544 PointsHugo Newman
1,544 PointsI've tried to find explanations of this stuff elsewhere, but even the explanations contain jargon. E.g. "A local server is a server that is running in a local or a mounted folder and whose document root is NOT the parent of the project root. You do your development, then copy the sources to the server."... What is a "mounted folder"? What a "document root"? What is a "parent"? What is a "project root", and the difference between a project root and a document root??