You can just supply a minimized runtime for your program, which is the primary way to ship Java programs for quite some time now.

Are you a Java dev by any chance?

I'm a dev. I don't know, I'm using a bunch of different languages, Java being one of them and I find it a very good fit for typical backend requirements.

Java’s cardinal sin was not owning the OS like Microsoft’s C# to force end-users to update the framework. Oracle really didn’t understand what they were sitting on with their Ubuntu competitor Solaris.

This has no longer been the case for C# for 10 years since the release of .NET Core and (now) .NET. The runtime is no longer bundled with the OS.

This is only true for older .NET Framework applications.

Isn’t it post installation still updated via Windows Update as they said (force end-users to update the framework)?

Only patches, it doesn't automatically install new major versions