Why I need UNIX/Linux

• UNIX or Linux is generally a superior development environment for open-source software tools.

• Windows does not support true symbolic links in the file system. (``Shortcuts'' don't work the same way at all.) My files are organized logically in a hierarchy, and then I have a flat set of symbolic links in the directory /l. Thus, I can refer quickly to
  /home/me/Projects/Active/Music/Clarinet/Makefile
  as /l/cla/Makefile. I have not been able to come up with an alternate shortcut mechanism under Windows which works (1) in a shell, (2) in a program, (3) in any open-panel, or (4) while browsing files in Windows Explorer. Environment variables, for example, only work in a shell. In the Cygwin environment, symbolic links work correctly within a Cygwin shell. However, these ``link files'' just behave as regular files in Windows and don't function as true UNIX-style symbolic links.

• In general, it is important to support alternatives to Windows because Microsoft generally innovates in response to demand created by alternatives such as the Apple Macintosh (which prompted development of Windows) and Netscape Navigator (which prompted development of Internet Explorer). Without these external challenges, one can expect primarily successive refinement of the status quo. Business-focused companies tend to be conservative about changes of any kind, and large businesses rarely demand the kind of innovations we enjoy today. Backward compatibility alone can stifle innovation and even simple improvements (such as open-panel behavior).