These are a few of my favorite things

Linux

I have to admit, I didn't warm to Linux right away. Early releases were fairly sad and exhibited a lot of problems. They were also missing important things like "sar".

There was also a lot of change I didn't like. For example, Linux "ps" really ticked me off until I understood WHY things had been done that way. I didn't like Linux fdisk (and still don't, but heck, it does the job) and other things.

But over time, I softened. Grub really impressed me. At first I didn't like the /etc/rc scheme of Linux but again it grew on me.. and most of all, I began to really appreciate having available source.

It's not that I need it often: "man" and Google are what I'm much more likely to turn to. But in the few cases where I've either really needed details or needed to make something work MY way, having that source is wonderful

I'm also politically aligned with the Linux philosophy of sharing. I really believe that open source is important for the world. I align with Linux on patent and copyright issues for the same reason. Closed, locked up source code harms all of us.

BSD

I love BSD for its stability. Unlike Linux, the pace of change is slow and deliberate. That distinction does create tension and ambivalence: I appreciate Linux because it does advance so quickly but I appreciate BSD holding back on the reins.. I'm glad both of them exist.

Mac OS X

I'm lazy. I like OS X because there it is, ready to go to work on Apple hardware. No drivers to search for, no incompatibilities. It's a BSD base, but Apple pushes the envelope a bit - not to the extent Linux does, but excitement like Time Machine, and Spotlight are forward thinking. I like that, and those things definitely improve my computing experience.

There's definitely some Open Source Guilt, though. I like my Mac, but the Linux box keeps looking at me reproachfully.

See Why I love Unix and WHY I hate Windows also.