I would, in fact. The article gives no indication that they know more about how their computer works, that "startx" is anything more than a password that lets t

I would, in fact. The article gives no indication that they know more about how their computer works, that "startx" is anything more than a password that lets them use a mouse and Tuxpaint. Now, there's certainly potential. The author could (and maybe has) explain how X works or what exactly it means to install a package. Or maybe his kids will learn something from the details that command line programs show but GUIs often hide. There are definitely learning opportunities present in a shell that a GUI lacks. (The reverse is also true.) But from the article, he hasn't done any of that. Reading this article makes me think the author has a lot more planned, but what he's done so far, while fun, probably hasn't made his kids any more knowledgeable. That's OK: His sons are 2 and 5 and have plenty of time to learn more, if that's their interest. But Hacker News shouldn't pretend that the author has demonstrated the superiority of starting with the command line.