LOL. You show me a Linux machine that runs 15-year old binaries without problems, or source code that old that compiles against a modern machine, or even just source code 2 years old, for that matter. I'm not a big Microsoft fan but saying that they're less backwards compatible than the alternatives is talk from the looney bin.

"At least in the Linux world, your knowledge isn't decimated on an update."

Of course, so that's why the time I put into learning how LILO worked is now paying off so greatly! Oh no wait it doesn't, because LILO went the way of the dodo (as far as I can tell, I don't use Linux all that often any more). Wait, all that time I used to spend on manually insmod'ing kernel modules to get my audio to work with the various audio systems, that has paid off! Hmm no, that too is a crapshoot that changes every year or so. Config file format? Different between all programs. Desktop integration? Different desktop systems, who each change how they work every 2 or 3 years. Gfx card drivers? Depends on the brand, make and (if you're lucky) distro. Networking setup? Lol, don't get me started.