his projects were GUIs for machines (HMI)
Embedded software already has a pretty strong culture of rarely using libraries and vendoring them if they do (for better and for worse). This kind of worm just doesn't really make sense in that kind of environment anyway.
That’s not really my point. My point is some libraries are easily replaced and others are massive, complex and need ongoing support.
By the same logic, he could avoid system dependencies by writing his own OS. But it obviously doesn’t scale.
I’m all for an anti-library ethos, as long as the pros and cons are carefully considered and wheels are only reinvented when the cost/risk ratio is right.