True, but hardware failures are known to happen due to Linux misbehavior (yes, even today--it might happen with mainstream OSes but I've never heard about it).
I agree that ideally the hardware should be robust about it, but from a practical perspective it's a lot easier for a niche OS to fix their bugs than to get manufacturers to test those corner cases.
> True, but hardware failures are known to happen due to Linux misbehavior
[citation needed]
In the past, Linux was blamed for memory failure because it exposed bad memory when trying to make use of it, and Windows on the same machine didn't. But it was not Linux's fault.
Look elsewhere in this thread re: the Zenbook issues. They're mostly fixed now (maybe even entirely), but at one point it was possible to damage them with certain combinations of settings.
The Zenbook issue described in this thread does not damage the hardware; A proper reset (which unfortunately due to Zenbook construction requires disconnecting the battery, which is nontrivial) solves everything.
Right, which for a reasonable user does mean bricked, and is probably a cause to send it back to the OEM. Personally, if my hardware goes belly-up, I'm sending it back to somebody who's paid to fix it.
"I have to send it back to the OEM" is "damage" as far as I'm concerned.
I agree that ideally the hardware should be robust about it, but from a practical perspective it's a lot easier for a niche OS to fix their bugs than to get manufacturers to test those corner cases.