Having a stable ABI means locking down the ability to modify source code and compile it yourself, thereby stripping you of these very important freedoms.

Sorry… can’t follow this reasoning. Either the source is open (and thus open to modification) or it is not. Having a stable ABI has nothing to do with that. There are some systems in the Linux kernel that have not changed in ages (and are not allowed to change if the kernel developers are to be believed). Does that make the Linux kernel locked down in ones ability to modify the source code?

Really lost right now…