Oh my god! @Rawrbarian, you just opened a can of worms, without even knowing it I could talk for hours about Linux, but all of the reasons could be summed up with the word ‘security’.
Sorry, but I need to get technical for a sec, but the example will make it clearer(hopefully).
Kernel access, is a way of restricting and safeguarding hardware as well as software. Level 0 has direct access to microcode and chipset interface. The higher the number the less ‘trust’ (access) you have.
To my example:
Denuvo anti piracy/cheat software; It demands Kernel 1 access to preform basic functions. Linux is rather stingy with giving out access to anyone, let alone a closed, secretive, proprietary system. It’s pretty much guaranteed it will never function on a Linux rig - even emulated.
Windows gives access to everyone, while Apple is the mighty gatekeeper, where you have to ask nicely to be let in to the closed environment.
Other then that, the design philosophy of FOSS(Free and Open-Source), ensures I can go trough the code, without elaborate decompiling and educated guesswork. I can see for myself what the software does, line by line. There is no big corporate guy in a fancy suit, that says ‘Trust me’.
You don’t want that thingy you downloaded to report back your system specs(or worse…)? Disable that line/section, recompile and you’re good.
The cost of this is, sadly, I have to jump trough hoops to get things to work. Work on my rig is usually not ‘click button - watch magic’, but instead tinker, fiddle, mess around, and finally hit it with a hammer. But this is the path I chose willingly, and I’m quite happy about it. I would even do it again! Recommending it however, is another matter. It takes a special mindset, a whole new way of thinking, and most of the time getting your hands dirty. It’s not for everyone.
If you want to know more, I’d happily talk over PM’s or in another thread.
Back to subject:
Aww man! I was really liking the story. When I saw her just standing there, I actually said out loud “Crazy Lady, why aren’t you dead yet?” It cracked me up to see her again.
@fordprefect No need to apologize mate, but if this is a hijack contest, I’m winning
Sorry for the diverging subject, I’ll limit my enthusiasm for Linux to a dedicated thread/site.
EDIT: And I don’t consider you guys input hijacking, btw. I’m still learning about the game, which was the original intend of the thread