> I guess that's where the "linear" came from (implying gamma = 1.0). "Linear" means the colors are stored in a state that means you can do linear transforma

> I guess that's where the "linear" came from (implying gamma = 1.0). "Linear" means the colors are stored in a state that means you can do linear transformations on them (basic math in other words) without loss. You can't do this with gamma corrected colors - for example as you say, the sRGB EOTF is a piecewise function so by definition it's not a linear transformation. So yes, when talking about "linear" colors, they still come from some gamut like sRGB or a larger HDR gamut. The linear part means they are safe for use in a renderer's internals.