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Your argument misses the point. I'll tell you why. 1.) The Linux Kernel is modular and not monolithic and it comes in a variety of flavours because companies with actual developers use it to fit their needs. This is why today you have a multitude of devices running Linux - probably your also router/cable modem.
2.) Of course it depends on what you are developing. But as long as you are not really a kernel developer, you really have a broad choice of systems to develop and are not stuck with the Linux kernel. E.g. My work mostly involves Python and Unix-like environments. If I do this work on my customer's FreeBSD Server or my Linux box is irrelevant most of the time.

No, it's because it's open source, cheap, and so can be customized by third parties.

Your second point doesn't actually make any sense at all, and it doesn't help you to bash NT or Windows, which is exactly what you did in your first message just for the sake of it. Sorry.

Edited 2008-12-25 21:58 UTC

'Monolithic' refers to the memory model used by the kernel. The Linux kernel, like many other common kernels (eg BSD, BeOS, Syllable), is monolithic because all kernel code including modules runs in the same memory space; ie any kernel code, whether compiled into the kernel or in a module, can access any variables or data structures of any other part of the kernel. A consequence of this is that a crash or bug in a module can corrupt the whole kernel.
The usual example of a non-monolithic kernel is Minix, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MINIX.

One might actually say that Windows Vista is less monolithic than Linux, since the new video driver system has video drivers running in userspace. This means that a buggy video driver won't crash the whole system - it just gets safely restarted and everything goes on as usual.

The linux kernel is Monolithic. You have no idea what you are talking about. Dynamic loadable modules are available in most modern kernels but they are still monolithic.

In kernel parlance, Monolithic refers to wether the kernel and all of its modules, including device drivers, execute in privileged mode.

You are confusing runtime/compile time binary level implementation with architecture.

The NT kernel is a hybrid kernel.

Your understanding is incorrect. The architecture of linux has nothing to do with its popularity or it being able to run on small memory foot print.

QNX is a microkernel and runs fine on small memory embedded systems.

Edited 2008-12-28 19:53 UTC