I don't think the kernel itself, especially a micro kernel, is all that big of deal these days. There are already plenty of decent Unix-style and other kernel

I don't think the kernel itself, especially a micro kernel, is all that big of deal these days. There are already plenty of decent Unix-style and other kernels out there, mostly relegated to academia and research. Any of these would be decent enough to lay the foundations of a free stack. The real problem is the APIs, services, and the hardware drivers. The locked garden style of hardware and subscription models are becoming more and more prevalent. And even using Debian or some other Linux doesn't amount to squat if you're using a back-doored Intel chip with its 'management engine', running a browser which is making it easy for 200 trackers to follow you on every site, and a smart phone, designed by an ad company, has turned you into a broadcasting station.