I'd disagree with the assertion in your first paragraph. The Unix CLI toolset has evolved in a very similar way to any other software ecosystem. To compare with

I'd disagree with the assertion in your first paragraph. The Unix CLI toolset has evolved in a very similar way to any other software ecosystem. To compare with Python, the GNU coreutils/binutils and friends could be thought of as analagous to the Python core with other toolsets fulfilling a role similar to packages from PyPI. The standards and interface issues for both ecosystems are similar but luckily Python has more leeway to alter compatibility (ref changes in 3k). There are all sorts of issues with altering the nix toolset, and we mustn't forget the importance of POSIX for compatibility. We can't simply decide to 'replace the UI of *nix' without fundamentally changing how the nix ecosystem and community operate (and I wouldn't want to). OS development is not agile and rarely compat breaking, and for good reason. I also read the sibling as promoting a fundamental understanding of the underlying platform being developed on, not so much pushing teaching of just CLI usage. Knowing how, e.g., the filesystem works and the caveats involved is something that can lead to much better software design decisions. And knowing how to chain a cheap sed instead of just throwing Python and the re module at a glob.glob listing can be just as useful.