[dozzie]

> [...] I can't think of a single situation where "understanding several compilers" would have helped me design/maintain/troubleshoot infrastructure I'm responsible for.

Oh, sure, you don't need to understand how ELF binaries work, until you try to do anything non-trivial to them (building chroot image anyone?). You also don't need to know how Ruby or Python work with modules, but I'll want to stay away from any your system where you happen to install a random recently developed software, because it will be a mess.

> But hey, looks like you're not in my target market, and that's ok!

Of course I'm not. What you proposed is a list for novice sysadmins, except it doesn't touch the essence of the craft, focusing instead on shiny bells and whistles of limited applicability that will be obsolete five years from now.