When I was learning Linux back in the day, one of the most beneficial thing I did was to go though the VIM tutorial and learn to use it properly. I'm no master at it but oh boy that time spent has paid dividends down the line.
OSs need to stop letting applications have a free reign of all the files on the file system by default. Some apps come with apparmor/selinux profiles and firejail is also a solution. But the UX needs to change.
I was going to recommend that exact podcast episode but you beat me to it. Totally worth listening, especially if you're interested in software bugs.
Another interesting fact mentioned in the podcast is that the earlier (manually operated) version of the machine did have the same fault. But it also had a failsafe fuse that blew so the fault never materialized. Excellent demonstration of the Swiss Cheese Model: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_cheese_model
I've acquired so many tools like this, and I don't think I've ever looked at them at though I regretted the purchase. Many have enabled me to fix and make stuff down the line.
For me it's a combination of the nature of task, where I'm at and the nature and duration of the interruption. But usually an interruption causes a large amount of penalty points.
It's very tempting to assume what people will or are doing, and it's so, so easy to get it so wrong.
Picture this. Guy comes home late at night. Outdoor light is on. He goes in and presses he light switch. No lights come on but the fuse blows and now the outdoor light is gone.
What does he do?
The answer is that you have no idea based on only that information. It's tempting to think he'll do what my friends and I would do: find the fusebox and investigate.
But the thing is, his crazy ex's crazy boyfriend threatened yesterday to kill him. This guy is bolting, not looking for the fusebox.
-- Kent Overstreet, bcachefs maintainer: https://lore.kernel.org/all/citv2v6f33hoidq75xd2spaqxf7nl5wb...