Self-taught amateur programmer using Emacs

yeah, and naturally Linux. I think it is 13 years now. We all have a secret, "Any idiot can make things more complicate, it takes a genius to simplify." Unfortunately, we do have to become geniuses to use computers and open-source. Git will indeed suck up way-to-much of our time. the process of simplifying it requires a "genius" to cut the learning curve for most common use cases. i see some comments here from proto-geniuses. anyway, open-source is always waiting for us to do something great merely simplifying the interface to a program in relation to most-common-use-cases. as far as the commandline and its associated programs ...: hint, it is designed for you to craft aliases and functions that serve your needs. that is the first thing i would teach. I think Steve Jobs remarked, "The best interface designers are multi-discipline synthesizers, not coders. hard-core coders have their own worlds and not many have a larger view of things. say the same for 95% of specialists in our society.