To Optimize, or Not?
You should be forced to write efficient code and know how to do it in situations where it matters. You should also be able to...
Low-level understanding matters
If you haven't figured out how to get the most out of what you already have, don't ask me for more RAM/disk/CPU or anything else....
The horrors of open source!
It's possible to simplify the "normal" things for normal users while still providing source code and repositories that allow us strange creatures to continue experimenting,...