I see that as being largely a non–issue. Either you use your own computer and share your screen with the interviewer, or you use a pre–prepared machine. An idea

I see that as being largely a non–issue. Either you use your own computer and share your screen with the interviewer, or you use a pre–prepared machine. An ideal interviewer would have three laptops ready to go, one each for Windows, OSX, and Linux, and would ask you which you prefer to use. Or three types of VMs to remote into, or whatever. (The upfront cost of that is miniscule if you’re asking a bunch of candidates this question over a few years.) If the interviewer can’t provide that much then they have failed your interview of them, and if you can’t be productive under those conditions then you will likewise fail. This is beneficial for both parties. I think that this is actually pretty obvious to most people. Arthur only mentions this to say that getting a working build environment wasn’t part of the test.