Reasons for requesting Linux/FOSS at work

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I got a spare laptop from my company to run a proper OS on! I convinced the IT manager to send me a Dell because I want to run Linux. He is an officially certified (r) Elder Unix Greybeard, so he understands why I want to run Linux, and my obsession with simple tools. What stuck out to me was how I was forced to defend my desire for using Linux at work without falling back on the more standard "I only use FOSS because security/surveillance" explanation, since that explanation doesn't really fly at work.

Why would one want to use Linux, or FOSS in general, on a work computer?

• Simple tools are scriptable. Writing scripts and shell aliases makes longer tasks take less time or keystrokes.
• In Linux-based systems, customization is king. Even in the customization-bereft GNOME desktop, users can assign keystrokes to custom scripts, change keyboard options, add extensions... and in simpler window managers, even more is possible.
• Most software needs are covered for Linux at this point. Development tools usually target Linux first. Most Microsoft software (Teams, Word, Outlook) can be used in the browser or a suitable replacement (Mattermost, LibreOffice, Evolution) can be used on the desktop.
• Using the same OS on your desktop and server reduces confusion. Techniques and tools learned on one apply to the other.
• Learning to use proprietary software feels like a waste of time because it's not portable and not user-controlled. Learning AppleScript is a waste of time. It's only ever usable on a Mac.
• Learning to customize software that is both not designed for customization and changed arbitrarily on a regular basis is a Sisyphean task. Having the rug pulled out from under your feet is inevitable. My particular stone is the window manager on macOS - it is difficult to use and near-impossible to customize the way I want.
• Users will always be in control of Free and Open Source software, and will never lose the ability to modify and continue using it as needed. When was the last time an update broke a user's bash scripts? I compiled and installed a 4 year old version of curl last week. That's easy with FOSS and impossible in proprietary-land.

In short - stable, simple, customizable tools. I'm a sysadmin - I write scripts and automate things. I want to be able to rebuild a server and lay out its customizations as quickly as possible - install packages, add config files, set up services, and changes settings. Why wouldn't I want the same for my own desktop? It makes it that much less failure-prone.