[mikegerwitz]

Command-line was just an example. In some instances, a seemingly difficult problem can be solved trivially with standard tools found on most Unix-like operating systems like GNU/Linux.

But if we're talking about programming, then we're not talking about putting some formulas in Excel---that's what I'd expect of far less technical positions, ranging from accounting, to data entry, to your average person looking to understand some simple data a little bit better. Someone trained to use Excel is stuck with morphing problems into Excel's domain rather than being able to apply general building blocks to other problems.

You can do some pretty complicated stuff in Excel that requires strong technical skill; I'm not implying otherwise.

[klibertp]

> a seemingly difficult problem can be solved trivially with standard tools found on most Unix-like operating systems like GNU/Linux

You forget how difficult is getting to the point where you can "trivially" solve problems at the command line. For one you need to be aware of the tools' existence and then understand their functions and how they cooperate and fit in together.

[mikegerwitz]

That is the job of the teacher.

My argument is that time can be better spent teaching general skills than teaching students how to be locked into a single proprietary program and try to force certain topics into its domain so that they can use the tool familiar with them (Excel) to solve the problem.

[cjs_2]

It should be the job of the environment. While i agree about learning general skills, Let's face it that Unix commands just aren't discoverable outside of the curated list by a teacher or other resource.