This is my own version of the UNIX competancy levels... Beginner o Never uses vi, can't exit if started accidentally o Doesn't hit [Enter] after the line o Finds it difficult to distinguish files from directories o Unaware that mail can be delivered electronically o Thinks BASIC is the only programming language o Believes that UNIX can't do anything of use Novice o Can enter and exit vi, but baffled by insert mode o Wishes that the prompt would show the current directory o Types 'dir' and expects a directory listing o Has had first bad experience with 'rmail' o Knows about 'C' but can't get anything to compile o Lucky not to crash the system Intermediate o Knows tiny but adequate subset of vi commands o Has customized prompt, can redirect stdout to a file o Knows that 'ls -alF' will get them a good directory listing o Sends and receives mail using 'elm' o Writes in 'C' but has trouble with make files o Can perform simple tasks when forced to Knowledgable User o Has read vi's man page, knows some tricky commands o Uses pipes haltingly o Has created an alias for listing directories o Knows how to read news, lurks in one or two groups o Can write simple shell scripts, reuses one make file o Begins to understand why UNIX is better than MS-DOS Expert o Knows advanced vi commands, rarely checks man page o Can use pipes with ease o Has many aliases for different directory listings o Posts news frequently o Uses sed and awk confidently, writes 'C' code only when needed o Can do things impossible on any microcomputer-based OS Hacker o Has memorized vi command set, knows fewest keystrokes for any task o Uses at least two pipes in every command o Knows how to make files into directories and vice versa o Can forge mail o Has written obfuscated 'C' code o Can crash the system at will Wizard o Finds and fixes bugs in vi, wrote man page o Has rewritten csh to be more efficient o Bypasses file system and writes directly to disk o Reads and sends raw mail packets o Prefers assembly language, doesn't trust compilers o Can recover a crashed system Guru o Never uses vi, composes everything with 'cat>' o Doesn't need to press [Enter] after the line o Finds it unnecessary to distinguish files from directories o Unaware of any mail that is not delivered electronically o Has proven that all programming languages are fundamentally the same o Understands how UNIX can do anything of use