OS X vs. desktop Linux

[Rich Braun]

Richard Pieri <richard.pieri-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org> observed:
> I haven't had a Mac as my work machine in several years but when I did
> it was the same: I didn't have to be a sysadmin at my desk.  That made
> being a sysadmin for real production just a little bit easier.

I've been doing an unscientific poll on this for the past year and a half. 
Over that time I've hired several people, and my policy has been to ask each
new hire a week or so before their first day what kind of machine they want. 
I tell them they can have Mac, Windows, Linux; desktop or laptop--basically
whatever will make them most productive.

Over half the time, I'm finding that these folks are choosing a Mac, despite
the fact that each person's job title starts with the word "Linux".

That said--we do have a lot of challenges dealing with Macs because of the
infernal dependency on Internet Explorer that so many apps have.  (Including
some that you wouldn't expect, such as the lights-out administrative
interfaces for the key vendors of server/network hardware.)  It makes me
bonkers when one of my employees says she's forced to drive into the office
because a server crapped out and they couldn't gain console access due to a
misconfigured VPN or whatever issue with their home computer (this happens a
/lot/ with Mac users).

-rich