This is something that worries me about this project. Is the focus more on hackability, or security/inspectability? The messaging is unclear, and this decision looks like a big sacrifice of the former for the latter. I'd maybe be interested in this device but only for the purposes of DIY messing around, I'm nowhere near so worried about security I wouldn't trust the linux kernel.
This project is definitely security-first. That being said, we're defining "hackability" as "empowerment to hack". For example, this is one of the few platforms where you can hack the CPU itself by adding new instructions to it.
If you flash Linux onto a device like this, the constant stream of discovered and fixed Linux security holes is bound to eventually bite you without frequent & robust OTA update regimen that requires staffing. It's not really a "jury's still out" type of question: https://www.cvedetails.com/product/47/Linux-Linux-Kernel.htm...
(Not that it's an easy with a simpler software stack either of course but you can have a fighting chance at least)
