There you go again, bringing politics into software, where it doesn't belong. By definition, you will NOT get the best software for the job if you shop politically. Not getting the best software for the job (considering all practical factors) is just plain stupid. But I guess that's why they promoted you to where you can do no more harm.
but I’m too conservative to compromise my principles and use Stallman’s software any more than absolutely necessary
Funny, Stallman says essentially the same thing himself, only he won't use proprietary software. See, I told you that you two were very much alike, more than anyone here, even more than Torvalds.
I can only imagine the howls if I admitted I had to program Linux for a paycheck
Only because you are philosophical, and we're not. You have admitted you had to use Linux at work, but your complete ignorance of the system leads us to not believe you. You seemed to claim great security knowledge, but your complete ignorance of that area makes us not believe you there either (especially with your failed nmap test).
the fact you have to use Microsoft despite your obvious hatred of Gates is hysterical.
It's not funny at all given my pragmatic approach to software. Besides, there is a lot I admire about Gates. As far as .NET for Windows, it is a great platform trapped in a mediocre operating system (Mono's not quite there yet). In fact, free software developers liked C# so much they started Mono so they could use the language to program for Linux.