How is it “functionally” walled? How is it far from “anyone can simply download and run”? It literally is just that. Anyone can download anything and run any unsigned code. I am baffled by the fact that all the people correcting you are getting downvoted.

Ars Technica has to be some of the most reputable high quality reporting in tech. I got hooked way back when they’d publish twenty plus page reviews covering operating systems.