I don't know why but figured the same as you. If they bothered to document it, I'd bother to follow it. I did the download only option too since I also run opnsense from a VM.

I don't see why this needs to be mandated. If users want it, it will be made

I run proxmox so I have a VM dedicate to HA OS with frequent backups. This allows me to also run a number of other things without worrying about inadvertently messing up my HA install

I'm doing the same but spending more time here. As more communities move over, my time with reddit will decrease. If I knew the copyright laws better, I'd host a few servers of my favorite shows.