Thank you very much for the A2A.
While it looks quite simple on the outside, the more I think about the question, the more I like it. This question actually has a lot to it, that could be easily missed. So, I hope you don’t mind, if I dissect it. You are going to like this.
Let me start by saying, that there is a difference between using computers and being computer-savvy. Tons of people use computers today, but even experienced users are often not that tech-savvy. In fact, once they go out in the real world, many IT students fail at companies. Like tests during job interviews. They though it would be easy, because they have computers at home. But when push comes to shove, their talent might not align with the field.
Knowing Linux is not enough. You also have to use it. But here is the first problem. If you read something like Linux Start For Windows Users, you will realize, that Linux has become easy enough to use, that even the average user can easily learn how to install it and they can use it as daily operating system. It’s made by humans and over the past two decades it has become a lot more user- and beginner-friendly. It’s not that hard to start using Linux. But becoming an experienced user is something entirely else.
There are significant differences between Windows or MacOS and Linux. And I don’t want to go too deep into the details. But to give you a clue… Windows is a proprietary operating system and they don’t want you to look too deep. It should be easy to use and the less people touch, the better. On Windows you will find tons of tools that do the job for you. One example that shows that, would be CC Cleaner. You could actually do pretty much everything CC Cleaner does by hand and even better than the application. Yet, people need the tool.
What this means is, that after some years people think they have it all figured out, but the truth is, that’s not the case. They have all these tools that do the job for them. They don’t realize, they have actually no clue, what’s going on behind the scene. Windows requires you to take it for what it is and adjust your working style to what you get. So does MacOS.
Now, Linux on the other hand is a kernel, not an operating system. It’s not built for ease of use and it’s open source. Linux offers you the option to adjust the “operating system” to your own purpose and needs. It’s very versatile. It’s a modular system. The catch is, beginner-friendly distros like Mint or Ubuntu will do as much of the job as possible for you too and will keep you from going deeper too. Not that you can’t. You just don’t feel the need to do so. Unfortunately the same happens, as it does on Windows. After using it a few years, people think they’ve got it all figured out. Mint users are often great examples of that kind.
But if you go deeper with Linux and actually start configuring it for your purpose and needs… if you start trying to use keyboard driven tiling window managers and become more productive, if you start using Arch Linux instead of Ubuntu, if you start using dd and rsync and moving dual boot setups, if you install Linux on less common devices like bay trail with 32 bit boot loader and 64 bit kernel, if you set up and run servers or start developing cross-platform applications,… well, that’s a very different story.
So, is Linux knowledge a badge of honor for computer-savvy individuals? Well, it depends, how you use it and also on the viewer. If you do, you likely know Windows too. Which is more than most users out there. And if you really look deeper and go there… it might not be a badge of honor, but it certainly speaks in favor of your skill set 😉
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