Because there is a lot more to developing an app than writing code.

> Backing up a live database can be a bit tricky.

Seriously? If your database of choice is a chore to backup while live, you need to rethink your choice.

Full or incremental backups should be a trivial operation, with support for intra-backup change capture only a little more effort (log shipping, replication, etc.)

Of all the reasons to lose data, "Backups are hard!" should not be in the list.

Exactly how does the choice of OS make a difference in this case?

So true, many IT shops are located in or near the Twilight Zone.

IIRC, the equivalent is called "Windows Update"...

Funny thing I have noticed, in situations that pay overtime, there is rarely a significant amount of it. When Time = Money, managers quickly learn to plan projects accurately.