[winety]

> …then why aren't they just library functions in a scripting language?

I’d say they basically are. What’s the difference between Python’s sort and (let’s say) Bash’s sort? In Python I call sort to order a data structure like a list. In Bash I do the same, but on a different data structure. The crux of the matter is probably buried in semantics.

> I still don't see the beauty.

What I like about shell and pipelines is that they allow me to easily edit and play with text. I don’t need to think about opening nor closing files, I don’t need to think how to best represent the data I’m working with. In minutes I can get the information I need and I can move on.