First, a general question: what do you seek to gain with the installation of OS X Server, and what are your expectations? To one part of your question, OS X Server does not add X11, Xcode, the command-line tools nor related features, for instance.
The OS X Server installation looks and works rather differently from the various Linux server implementations are packaged. With the Linux server installs I've worked with, the whole environment is stripped down and intended for use as, well, a dedicated server. Same kernel and many of the same tools, but very different packaging from the desktop environments, from the perspective of a user. Stripped-down, purpose-built, very useful. But not a desktop.
The OS X client package includes disk and file services including clients and servers for CIFS/SMB, AFP and NFS, ssh and telnet and screen, and various other features. OS X client already has various of what some folks refer to as "server" features. There's BIND9 included, though you're managing that via the command line on OS X client using the familiar /etc/named.conf file. With an add-on USB-to-serial adapter, I regularly run serial connections, too.
OS X Server does add features, but — with a few salient exceptions in some versions, and usually involving Boot Camp — does not remove OS X features. And OS X Server doesn't add development features. (Well, what
As for OS X Server and as a general rule, the application services that OS X Server adds to what's already available in OS X client will generally work best with static IP address assignments. Due to common spam-filtering techniques deployed on other SMTP servers, mail services and related don't necessarily work reliably from servers with dynamic IP addresses, for instance. (This same general issues apply to Linux and other systems running mail servers, BIND servers and Open Directory servers, too.)
If you're not looking to run DNS services or cache updates or otherwise use the features of OS X Server, then dealing with the requirements that OS X Server can add onto the configuration can be more of a hassle than it's worth. (I've done that, too. It works. Mostly. Sort of. Depends on what you're doing.) But that's entirely your call.
In previous versions, OS X Server was explicitly not supported with MacBook and MacBook Pro systems. FWIW. Apple had supported the desktop and server configurations.
Not intended to be flippant here and in all seriousness: if Linux meets your needs, run it. If you need Xcode or X11, load and use that. Do what you want or need to do here. See what works for your particular expectations and usage.