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Comment by darksaints | Hacker News Reader

Honestly, I don't have much faith in Linux anymore, and it has everything to do with the explosion of the kernel's codebase due to the explosion of cheaper devices running linux and the (admittedly difficult) management issues surrounding the kernel. I feel like from a security perspective, macos is a better choice and that pains me as a long time linux user.

Can we please move on to microkernels already? I'm fine with a tiny performance hit, I just don't want to get rooted because I plugged in the wrong USB stick.

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You can use microkernels whenever you want. Just be aware that they typically have the same issues with zombie/cruft code and aren't necessarily more secure for every application.

I think the point is that even drivers could be non-trusted and live outside of the kernel and just provide the exact service required with minimal access.

That said, why do we still need drivers in 2025? Most regular printers should be dumb, U-MASS should be dumb, webcams should be dumb, monitors are dumb, etc... very few devices coming really needs custom drivers anymore (even with many customizations we could provide class specific descriptors that drivers could adhere to).

If you don't want to go macOS route and want to leave Linux world, your destination would be FreeBSD or OpenBSD.

On the other hand, if you're not running Wine, you can't get autorun virii from USB drives, plus the Windows virii just lives there and can't do anything.

What about plan9? ;)

Plan9 is like ocean yacht racing. If you have to ask about the "cost" you aren't the target market.

Plan9 is like writing. You either do it, or talk about doing it. I'm talking not doing btw. I tried, but I got stuck on trivial things and the barrier to asking for help over 2+2= is high. (No offence intended. The 9 heads aren't interested in running a kindergarden)

I want a 4TB SSD.

To do that on a MacBook I'm spending a minimum of 3200$.

If you have unlimited money ( or can expense it) a 3200$ to 4k MacBook is going to be the best experience money can buy.

If you have limited funds, a 200$ used computer can get the job done with the right distro.

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