It isn't easy but flipper did a remarkable work demonstrating it was possible. Tactility is following a similar concept and in my opinion is the project that implemented it best after flipper.
In the past, the solution for arbitrary code was running scripts such as Wrench: https://github.com/jingoro2112/wrench
More recently also became possible to run Java apps with a JVM on ESP32: https://github.com/FlintVN/FlintESPJVM which is not yet arbitrary (e.g. download and run) but that is the route of development.
Even Linux was demonstrated running on ESP32 albeit I've never tried it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj0a91vlcGo
I've been toying with the ESP32 architecture for a few years. (I began with ESP32-DevKitC in 2022.) I recently got four ESP32-S3 modules with the intent of trying out the ESP32 Bus Pirate (https://github.com/geo-tp/ESP32-Bus-Pirate).
I hadn't heard about any Linux ports until I saw your comment here. Thanks!
The "playground" Linux port looks interesting, but it hasn't seen any updates for nearly a year. Still, I'm going to try it on a ESP32-S3 N16R8 and see how it goes.
It's funny, because I first ran Linux (SLS & Yggdrasil) on a PC with a 33MHz clock, 32MB RAM, and a 70MB hard drive. The N16R8 clock speed, RAM, and flash are all within an order of magnitude of what was on that old PC.
https://github.com/ESP32DE/Boot-Linux-ESP32S3-Playground
Yes, kind of crazy for those of us that remember those days. ESP32 are quite the magical devices when considering the price/features ratio.
If you try the Linux build I'd appreciate to read your feedback/experience when running it.