[tim58]

> Whereas, a lot of CS curricula today at least implicitly assume that you're comfortable with computer command lines, basic programming, etc. And, if not, you'd better get up to speed in a big hurry.

I graduated a CS program in 2013. In my program there was no assumption of familiarity with the command line. I specifically remember several lectures about how to navigate a file tree on a command line, how to run programs on a command line, what STDIN and STDOUT were, what pipes were, etc.

[brendoelfrendo]

Also graduated in 2013, not in CS but in a related major. I'll say this: no, as far as the school was concerned, you didn't need to know anything going in, but the people who had no familiarity with the command line or computing were obvious to pick out of the crowd and those same people tended to struggle later on. The ones who did well were the ones who had sought out that foundational knowledge on their own.

[ghaff]

I'm sure it varies. There are certainly "Intro to..." MOOCs out there that mirror in-person courses that basically jump right into theory and just reference some Python (or whatever) textbook. And the discussion boards are filled with people obviously completely out of their depth with even getting started.

There are, of course, other courses more pitched to people with no experience at all. And presumably in person there are TAs and fellow students who can help someone who really doesn't have any background in programming, setting up programming environments, basic OS functions, etc.