Does anyone know if there is a way to use this on Linux or Windows without installing nagware on my main machine?
Both run freely on Linux. On Windows you can try this Mono Implementation http://mono-project.com/Mono.Zeroconf
Essentially, the Raspberry Pi has the netatalk package on it which allows it to broadcast it's own .local hostname. This is what makes it possible for a user to simply type "coder.local" into the URL bar in chrome and have the Raspberry Pi's IP address resolved.
So if you leave out the apple bonjour packages, you'll just have to figure out the IP address yourself and use the IP instead of the fancy "coder.local" hostname. There are a number of ways to accomplish this, from scanning your network to just plugging in a HDMI cable and a keyboard to the RPi and doing an "ifconfig".
Half the point of the RPi is for it to be a cheap, accessible Linux box for learning, and was pretty appalled when I thought that that this tool completely locked out Linux users.
mDNS/Zeroconf/Bonjour is an easy way to get up and running in a headless setup, but the Coder download is just a minimally modified Raspbian distribution, so you can also ssh in and tweak it to do whatever you like.
Incidentally, zeroconf is why it is not advisable to use internal *.local domains.
That guy is ranting because ranting makes him feel important.