Sounds to me that this is how kids learn to spin their own operating systems (a la LFS, Gentoo)and apps.

This is how people bought personal computers when the mainframe priesthood banned them.

It appears that very soon, young people will "de facto" need to have this level of competence in order to survive and thrive in a world of "in loco parentis" operating systems and apps.

The latin reveals my age, but one thing about my age:

People my age did exactly that. We built our own hardware when there was none. We compiled (or copied) operating systems and apps. A couple of my friends wrote an operating system and a C compiler.

"My generation" created this entire internet thingy, installed and web-based apps.

Indeed, dumb-asses are going to level up young people.

Maybe kids won't be doing this because they won't know of a world where this isn't the case.

Meanwhile, all available hardware will only allow attested operating systems that conform to regulations. All hardware that does not conform will be illegal.

Before they do this, it will be easy to lock the internet to only allow attested operating systems online.

It wasn't illegal when we did it. They're working on that too.

I'm sure Xers and millennials are totally going to be okay with a visit from the school cop when their little one is caught with an illegal operating system and looking at charges that could ruin their college and job prospects.

The cheap money will run out long before then, the cop will leave, the school abandoned. There will be forever protests and skirmishes on the long march through collapse.