In case you rely on X-Windows stuff from the linux/unix world, X is also fully supported in macosx -- you just have to install the X development kit (source code for the X11R6/include/*.h files) in order to install Perl/Tk. There's nothing complicated about it; it just works. And you have the option of hooking up a usb 3-button mouse (button-2/scroll-wheel works as God intended), as well as getting used to the laptop's native 3-button emulation ("option-key + click" for button-2, "apple-key + click" for button-3), which isn't much of a problem, really.

I've taken in a variety of sourceforge-style packages and installed them very easily on the mac ("./configure; make; sudo make install" -- but if the package has a file called "INSTALL", sometimes I have to rename that to "INSTALL.txt", because of the case-insenstive file name thing); I also use "sudo perl -MCPAN -e shell" a lot as well -- only rare problems with that (no more than I would have with linux, I expect).

Yes, I'd say it's worth it.