> "Shell literacy is one of the most important skills you ought to possess as a programmer. The Unix shell is one of the most powerful ideas ever put to code, a

> "Shell literacy is one of the most important skills you ought to possess as a programmer. The Unix shell is one of the most powerful ideas ever put to code, and should be second nature to you as a programmer. No other tool is nearly as effective at commanding your computer to complex tasks quickly — or at storing them as scripts you can use later." I'm not going to disagree. However...the presenter would be wise to spend a paragraph or two about actual benefits. In addition, tell us why I should listen to you. You don't persuade others with subjectivity and finger waving. Even something as simple as "...during my ten years as a software engineer..." Otherwise, this is more rant than educational. Sorry, but I see this pattern far too often and am hoping to nudge someone here away from it.