[vukmir]

While this is certainly a fast (and convenient) way to get hands-on experience with Linux, I'm not that sure about the "short stack" being the best option for beginners.

[pbreit]

This comment would benefit from a reason or suggestion.

[vukmir]

Indeed. My apologies.

First of all, learning the command line, git, vim, and Python is a bit too much for a beginner to handle all at once. IMHO, vim alone will scare off a lot of people.

Second, being exposed to a lot of different programming languages is very beneficial for a beginner.

[frozenport]

People don't get interested in learning Linux to 'learn Linux'. They want to get something done and something specific.

I don't think the "short stack" approach works because it doesn't come with any motivation.

[KC8ZKF]

I don't agree with this. A lot of people, especially young people, like to learn things without any specific job that needs to be done.