Mr. Palotta, I would not worry too much. In most cases they're not saying anything. It's just hot air.
Alas, the "abstractionitis" is not going away if we are talking about computers. Because "computers" are 100% symbols and therefore 100% abstraction.
To cut through all the silly words and acronyms, just stick to the most basic of symbols, numbers. They are the only symbols you really need to understand computers.
If someone gives you the abstraction:
101001010100101001001...
And says, "Make something useful out of that", I'm afraid some further abstraction will be necessary.
The question then becomes whether you use your own (choice of) further abstractions or blindly accept someone else's. That answer will affect how well you understand things. And also how much you can achieve.
Forbes RIP.
I learned UNIX.
It still hasn't died off.
Systems development is in my opinion the worthwhile development. How much attention does it get?
The rest, whether for one user or many, is just "administration".
The only things I see being "developed" are ways to try to bring the full utility of UNIX to the end-user who will never spend the time to learn it.
Basic administration that is. Leave systems development to the people who read WR Stevens.