Linux used to be able to run just as lean as the BSDs, and perhaps still can (see Slackware). but i fear that as it has gotten more attention in the corporate

Linux used to be able to run just as lean as the BSDs, and perhaps still can (see Slackware). but i fear that as it has gotten more attention in the corporate world more and more complexity has crept in as said corporate world wants something akin to AD and group policy so that the compute resources can be matched more closely to the division flow charts. This, in combo with a ongoing "users are sheep that need a shepherd" attitude from certain elements of the community leads to complexity piling on.