Implicit step zero

Implicit step zero is the step that natives of a particular ecosystem always leave out. This "step" is in fact usually multiple steps, which are themselves some combination of tedious, painful, and deflating.

In 2020, jekylrb.com ( jekyllrb.com archived, the homepage of the Jekyll static site generator is an especially good example. Jekyll is implemented in Ruby, and the Jekyll developers feel at home in the Ruby ecosystem.  The Jekyll homepage touts that one is able to "get up and running in seconds " (emphasized in the original), and presents a facsimile of a terminal emulator showing the three commands that comprise the "Quick-start Instructions".

The Jekyll folks—including its developers and its users —are experiencing a sort of "tunnel vision" that makes them blind to the the potential pitfalls that an unexperienced beginner is likely encounter.