I read the post you linked and I disagree with it because familiarity with the *nix command line is very useful for a developer working in industry. This guy sees it as a roadblock because he believes that the complicated nature of it will turn students away who would otherwise be good computer science researchers. This could be true. In any event, the post linked here seems aimed at people who want quick vocational education.

This is the difference between being a craftsman or being an academic. If you're a craftsman, you'd better know how to use your tools well. They're not an "obstacle" in the way of interesting research. They're a means to an end in accomplishing a goal.

At some point one should realize not every programmer is a computer scientist. Many of us are so much of computer scientists as a carpenter is an architect. For those of us who like to build things rapidly, familiarity with the posix shell and variants is a huge asset.