I agree with the author/OP. UNIX may be not perfect (what is?), but I, too, believe that it is the best we have, and there are lessons to be learned. UNIX is an OS, an API, a library (and a good one!), and an IDE. In fact, it was created as a programmer's OS. Modern UNIX-based operating systems can be called "UNIX" in a very limited sense, almost to the point of that being largely irrelevant. The bloat, heavy-weight desktop environments, many of the GUI-based tools - all of that is goes against the minimalist philosophy and design of UNIX as it was originally conceived. Some may see it as being "primitive", in a certain sense, just as people call the C programming language primitive, but there is beauty in the fact that one can accomplish so much using such "primitive" tools.
Thanks. Can't do anything but agree with your comment.
Well, it helps that compilers and tools are free and bundled in already, available right there from the command line.
That is true. Also I think Homebrew/apt-get are so easy to use nowadays, that getting tools is very easy. And in 99% it mostly works.