The Linux kernel doesn't matter. What matters is understanding the history, philosophy, and purpose of the unix environment.
You needn't become a religious zealot committed to the unix philosophy, but if you don't take the time to understand it, you'll never get the most out of the environment.
While I agree on the importance of "the history, philosophy, and purpose of the unix environment", saying that the Linux kernel doesn't matter seems a bit harsh at best. It seems to me that the Linux kernel is the most successful Unix-like kernel in the history of computing. It certainly matters for its ubiquity alone.
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Unix Power Tools
The Linux kernel doesn't matter. What matters is understanding the history, philosophy, and purpose of the unix environment.
You needn't become a religious zealot committed to the unix philosophy, but if you don't take the time to understand it, you'll never get the most out of the environment.
Similar but more historical, The Unix Programming Environment is a fun read, I learned a lot from it, and it's nice to have some historical context.
I love the flow of the book. Both Kernighan and Pike are great communicators.
While I agree on the importance of "the history, philosophy, and purpose of the unix environment", saying that the Linux kernel doesn't matter seems a bit harsh at best. It seems to me that the Linux kernel is the most successful Unix-like kernel in the history of computing. It certainly matters for its ubiquity alone.