I think you're splitting hairs. The parent and OP are saying there is a qualitative difference, and by saying "just X and better X" you're trying to say that the difference is merely quantitative. In my experience, when someone makes a claim of qualitative difference, and someone else insists that the difference is merely quantitative, it's because the latter person has not themselves seen the quality of the difference. This applies in many fields.
And that's compatible with my personal understanding here as well. As someone who has been programming for 30+ years and is generally considered proficient, I agree with the parent that the difference is qualitative. This explains a lot of the times when I look at what senior developers are doing and think "yes, that tool is generally useful, but not this time". And it gets frustrating then when they start arguing about "best practices" but I'm trying to make a larger point about "this project".
You make a good analysis, and I don't disagree with you. The crux of my argument is more like this:
Programming is a knowledge field, so any proficiency is just deeper know-how. "Stuff you know." Is that quantitative? Not exactly. I certainly don't think someone who knows 50 languages is a better programmer than someone who knows 2 languages, by virtue of the quantity.
Some things are memorization: how to write a class, for instance. And some things are not: how to model a situation into an appropriately-designed class.
One requires application of knowledge, I guess you could say. Qualitative.
But you can't apply your knowledge of different class designs without knowing why they're appropriate. That's not purely qualitative.
Am I splitting hairs? At this point, probably. I just think the arguments I responded to are poorly worded. Yours is not, and I can't disagree with it.
And that's compatible with my personal understanding here as well. As someone who has been programming for 30+ years and is generally considered proficient, I agree with the parent that the difference is qualitative. This explains a lot of the times when I look at what senior developers are doing and think "yes, that tool is generally useful, but not this time". And it gets frustrating then when they start arguing about "best practices" but I'm trying to make a larger point about "this project".