If you create a product that runs on client's hardware, you want to be able to run consistently in as many platforms as the majority of your potential customer'

If you create a product that runs on client's hardware, you want to be able to run consistently in as many platforms as the majority of your potential customer's. You are leaving money on the table if you don't. If a subset of those platforms is Linux + (Commercial) Unixes + Windows, the Windows part is going to take twice as long and cost you thrice as much to get in line with the other 2... unless you have some clever solution like the one proposed here.