>The latter statement implies the former

It does not, unless you have previously instructed not to intermix ingredients in their container.

I've been building machines myself for nearly 30 years, including multiple in the last 5, and I assure you I've needed to do nothing besides connect to the internet and let it get updates each time.

When is the last time you used Windows? XP? It hasn't been an issue for decades.

Graphics drivers moved out of kernel space in Windows Vista.

Unless you have very specialized needs, the driver experience on Windows is "turn the machine on". The driver update experience is "connect to the internet" and occasionally "reboot". That's it.

Linux is significantly easier than it was 20 years ago but still not as easy in general.

I'd argue an internal framework isn't a "product", but the confusion is real.