I think we are in a sort of agreement. There is certainly must be firmware that makes the TV function as a TV as we and Grandma knew it (volume control and channel change). But it is all the "app" crap that people ought to be able to opt out of. I guess you can, but I think you have to be tech savvy to do so. I argue for the "dumb" tech-knowledge option and it be made clear. There is a difference between the firmware and apps.

But you did install software, the firmware update. Sounds like a lot of software futzing to me. Grandma just wants to plug the thing in and watch.

What is "tldr"?

If I met anyone on the internet that knew all that stuff in-depth, I'd think AI. I'd not be impressed.

re: "Trans" people and pedos.

Are you are equating Trans people with pedophiles?

re: I really, really, REALLY want to just fuck them up (etc)

Please go get help.

My thoughts as well. But I subscribe to a modified Hanlon's razor: "Sometimes attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by incompetence."

No only phones, but other devices. I've got a drawer full of various incompatible cables. USB-C is fast enough for me.

I agree. Buttons and knobs are safer, less distracting.
That chief software officer is an idiot.

I agree. Touchscreens have their place, but not in a car. Knobs and buttons only. In most cases you don't even have to take your eyes off the road to adjust something, especially of the knobs are of different shapes and sizes. But touch screens are sexy and marketing people are stupid.

In our town we have a shop that refills our containers of detergent, shampoo, dish washing liquid, etc.

Continued rant...
Touch screens are fine in airplanes, spacecraft, factory floors, tablets, etc where you are not in imminent danger of crashing in the next few seconds. In a car, in traffic, you have to make a decision not to crash every few seconds - you can't take your eyes off the road, and can't be messing around with your infotainment system.

I am totally with you on the touch screen issue.

To use them you have to take take your eyes off the road, and fiddle with some poorly designed graphical user interface that some d:ckhead designer thought was cool. Touch screens have their place, but not in a car.

A knob is simple to understand and use. You don't have to take your eyes off the road to find and use it.

A pet peeve of mine...

I like Mint. https://www.linuxmint.com/

Yes, the style BS. That was the crap I'd have to endure, when there was an official company standard that nobody followed anyway. My ethic there was to code in the same format / style when working on other peoples code, even if it was stupid and ugly. (I'm was the Linux / K&R stylist, not the stupid and ugly White smith style ;) I liked straight forward code, not tricky.
I found during code reviews, during presentation, I'd find bugs, not the reviewers.