Many people, when they hear what I do for a living, ask me if I use a PC or a Mac. I invariably answer, “I use a Macintosh every day.” At which time they look at me like I am crazy. “An IT guy, using a Mac. I thought that was just for artists.”
I get asked the same thing when first meeting fellow IT folk. It may not always be asked in an obvious manner, but many times it will come up in conversation, “So what rig do you use?” When I mention “a Mac,” many times that person will treat me like a second class citizen until they get the chance to work with me. Then I always get the follow up question…”Why aren’t you on a Unix box?” To which I reply,”I am on a Unix box.”

The answer is a complex one for me, and has to do with my whole history as an IT person, freelancer, and business owner.