There is a major difference between being able to poke into low-level details and being able to program at full efficiency in Microsoft Notepad or ed (which is

There is a major difference between being able to poke into low-level details and being able to program at full efficiency in Microsoft Notepad or ed (which is what the OP seems to be advocating for). One is a rare and occasionally extremely useful skill, the other is basically a party trick, like being able to recite the Illiad from memory.