Common Questions & Friendly Answers

Use simple language first; add detail only if a student asks for more. Keep the tone curious and encouraging; Techster is learning with them.

• “What’s the difference between hardware and software?”
  Hardware is what you can touch (keyboard, screen); software is the instructions that tell hardware what to do (apps, games, operating systems).

• “Is the cloud hardware or software?”
  Both: the cloud is software running on hardware in someone else’s building. You just access it over the internet.

• “Why do file extensions matter?”
  They tell the computer what type of file it is and which programs can open it. Changing .txt to .jpg doesn’t turn text into a picture.

• “Why can’t I use Word or Google Docs to code?”
  They add hidden formatting (fonts, bold, colors) that break code. Code needs plain text, so we use editors like Notepad or VS Code.

• “What happens if I type the wrong terminal command?”
  Today’s commands are safe (they just read or print). Mistakes usually give an error message-read it together and try again.

• “What is code, really?”
  It’s a set of precise instructions. Computers are literal, so we have to be specific about every step.

• “What’s a program?”
  Code saved together to do a job-like a browser, a game, or a calculator.

• “Why learn the terminal?”
  It’s a direct way to talk to the computer. It feels powerful and is faster for many tasks once you know a few commands.

• “What’s the difference between memory and storage?”
  Memory (RAM) is short-term and clears when you turn off the computer. Storage (drive or cloud) is long-term and keeps files until you delete them.

• “Do I need to memorize commands?”
  Not yet. Keep the mini list: pwd (where am I?), ls (what’s here?), echo (say something). Confidence first, speed later.