Re: The urge to execute arbitrary code is growing stronger...
Just so. Compare with the 1980s direct equivalent of a USB stick, the floppy disc. With a floppy, the interface between drive and system was simple, and being so simple, was dead easy to secure and trust.
In this instance, you simply typed "format a:" before attempting to read the drive. 100% success rate.
If you wanted to write-protect a disc, there was a physical switch. Flip that switch and no electronic tricks could get around it. (Hacking the mechanics of the disc drive would work, but that is a physical attack.)
Simple is good.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
