the linux kernel is used in nuclear missiles

source:

Conversely… if it’s so benign, why should it have a label?

Why is immutable a requirement?

Who said anything about critical?

I just don’t want my hard disk wiped when I decide to try a piece of software.

Security updates if you use it online or copy new binaries to run on it. Even if you’re not worried about hackers, there can still be viruses and malware that destroy your data.

Lots of retro enthusiasts still use legacy hardware for all sorts of reasons… I fear that a fork of the kernel will be necessary in the near future to keep these machines running.

The notion of using Linux to revive old hardware and keep it out of the landfill may not last forever…

actively destroys our environment, makes every computiational device more expensive, literally makes it’s users dumber, and is built with very ethically questionable methods

you mean like the metals mined by children and forced labor that’s in every electronic device and battery on the planet? so you’re talking to us from a cup and string in the woods then, right?

Use of literally any electronic or battery-operated device on the planet uses metals sourced from child and/or forced labor somewhere in the world. Unless you’re prepared to move off the grid and live in the woods, these type of arguments at higher levels are endlessly pointless IMO.