[yardie]

Messing around with hardware and the software that runs on it is how you really learn how computers and software work. The original Mac SE and Mac IIs came withe a hardware debugger you could enter anytime with a literal button on the front.

If I wanted buttoned up single-use OS there is iOS. But almost no one wants that as their primary OS because they want the customizable, extensible OS.

[avidphantasm]

I did this with Linux and PCs 25-30 years ago when I was in high school and college. I don’t have time or interest in that anymore. Besides, the small amount of embedded work I do scratches my hardware itch better than any PC could, with their layer upon layer of crap (management engines, etc.).