First off...thanks for reading the article. What started as a Windows vs. Linux piece actually morphed over time into something completely different and a little more focused.
I thought I'd reply to some of the comments...
I'd like to see how many machines people are managing, especially those whose cousin's-buddy's-cousin Homer manages. If you work in an enterprise-sized environment, then you'd probably appreciate this article as these are issues I run into quite often.
To all you Linux haters and Windows haters...I never really understood why folks can be so one-sided. One OS in a large environment will never be the answer. There's so many factors that will determine what OS you end up using, so why not use them both (and throw in a mainframe and some Sun while you're at it)!?!
Really, if Windows and Linux had a kid, poor little WinNix would never have any friends.
The details on patching Debian distros may be scant, but I felt I had to mention Ubuntu because of it's growing popularity. Sorry, I couldn't get too into it, but my bigger focus is with SuSE and RedHat.
I'm just trying to cover the basic issues and techniques used to patch Linux. If there was more time I would have gotten more into ZenWorks and RHEL. Either way, I love to see how people over simplify patching servers without mentioning what they're managing. I find it hard to believe that these folks run more than a handful of machines and haven't run into any of these problems.
Other than mentioning that there a lot of patching applications out there to run on your Windows environment, a lot of the hassles you run into patching Linux apply to Microsoft as well. No system is really better than the other because it's all about how YOU manage IT.
One point about the article is it tougher to find something to help you manage your Linux patches. If you've got a nice sized budget, then get ZenWorks or buy a subscription. If you don't, then you'll need an alternative.
Thanks for the mention about PatchQuest. I'll check my sources (still, with a user-base as big as Novell/SuSE, why would a vendor not support a marketed distro and support Debian instead?---yeah, loaded question. That's how I roll).
...and finally, a reboot is a reboot. Sure, it may not happen as much with Linux, but it still does and in a lot of cases, you still need to plan for it.
Well, that's it for now. I hope you appreciate for what it basically is and not what you think it should be. Keep it positive and thrown in any advice that would benefit other readers experience with Linux. I'm sure they'd appreciate it.
Signed...not Steve Balmer.