I learned to program on modern FOSS computing environments and I must say that I think a simpler, more constrained learning environment would have helped me out

I learned to program on modern FOSS computing environments and I must say that I think a simpler, more constrained learning environment would have helped me out a lot. It's obviously dependent on the student's learning style, but having complete knowledge of a simple system is much better for me than working knowledge of a complex system.