More in the sense that at-the-time 'modern'[0] Linux eschewed a new set of tools that displaced/subverted those we used on other systems at the time. They can't be compared subjectively because it ignores a lot of the chronological nuance of the situation. It's not that one shell, or one OS was better than the other though there are objective measurements to prove one vs the other, it's the culmination of the social factors surrounding those societal shifts that resulted in what we now see as the 'better' tool coming out on top. We also cannot disregard the ancillary effects of being the favored shell on what is now the favored platform- more eyes more users more mindshare all helped to accelerate it to where it is now.
I hope that hits the notes you were listenin for.
[0] When I say 'modern' I'm not referring to the Ubuntus and GUI-first distros that we know today.