"Also, consider that it would've been definitely possible to write an OS with a mechanism for module loading compatible with Linux drivers." Sure, you can do t

"Also, consider that it would've been definitely possible to write an OS with a mechanism for module loading compatible with Linux drivers." Sure, you can do that and it will work exactly until the next change in the driver interface, which is not very long. So you end up in maintenance hell and will still constantly be behind the curve, because Linux gets all the updates first. You will be less secure too, because you'll get the security patches later. That being said, someone in a similar thread from a few days ago said one of the BSDs does that. Maybe it's not that bad.