It is well known that sophisticated computer users use Macs as their personal computers and run Linux on their servers.
I count at least six MacBook Pros in that "Dumb terminal" photo you posted, which depicts the JPL control room during the successful landing of Curiosity on Mars in August of 2012. Here's another view of the scene.
Spoken like a true elitist, Squidward.
Yes, anyone who does not see the wisdom of using the Atari 2400 of the computer world is obviously an uncultured peasant and too ignorant to realize the artistic grace available for the asking instead of concentrating on the REAL work a computer can do. (/sarc)
I think I have some old IBM PC-XT machines in storage that can function perfectly well as terminals instead of all those mcbookz, but I need to see if I still have the EGA monitors to go with them.
You will still be able to send and receive instructions and messages with them, but the fonts will not be as pretty and you can not use your favourite foo-foo picture as the background for it, and at least it will not set someone back a few thousand dollars for the same useages necessary.
Of course, some people (*cough* Liberal Elitist Macophile Snobs *cough*) would probably sneer at anyone not preferring to pay a huge amount extra for their pretty little fonts and pictures to play with, but perhaps some day when they grow up they will come to realize that the work can be done without them just the same.
(Or maybe they won't.)