Sunday morning. I open the issue tracker of a software project.
One of the issues: "Library Y is outdated, you should use library Z".
A dev replies: "Y is still perfectly valid, and it’s the only one that ensures compatibility with other OSes like the BSDs".
Response: "Nobody uses those OSes anymore, and there’s no reason to - we have Linux!"
The dev simply closed the issue.

Great way to start the day. 🙂

#RunBSD

I configured redundant #DNS and #DHCP services on #OpenBSD and all I got was this lousy blog post: https://www.tumfatig.net/2025/redundant-dhcp-and-dns-resolver-using-openbsd/

Anyway, enjoy if that's your thing too. And #RunBSD anyway!

NetBSD-powered CDN: caching, TLS and performance on a shoestring.

https://it-notes.dragas.net/2024/09/03/make-your-own-cdn-netbsd/

#EuroBSDConAdvent #EuroBSDCon #BSD #FreeBSD #OpenBSD #NetBSD #DragonFlyBSD #ZFS #PF #RunBSD

Here we go again, #EuroBSDCon! I may have mentioned it, but it's really happening*: I'm giving a talk again, this time titled:

Dirty Tricks: Using #nginx and #Lua to thwart bots and skript kiddies

This talk is specifically for anyone who

• has tried to host a BBS on the Internet,
• is struggling with scrapers and bots,
• lives in the #RetroComputing bubble,
• wants to see an early '90s PC on stage,
• needs a telnet captcha, or
• simply has nothing better to do.

Read more about it here, take a look at the conference schedule, and buy your ticket!

See you there!

#FreeBSD #Security #BSD #RunBSD #DOS #RunDOS #TheDraw #AnsiArt

* I didn't want to post this until I was fairly certain I could even pull this off..

Alt...

Introduction screen from my talk, presented in ANSI art. The words "nginx" and "LUA" in large ANSI fonts in the top left and bottom right corners, with some of the text from the talk description (linked in the post) in the middle.

Dear friends of BSD Cafe, I've just approved the 500th user for this instance.
That's right, the 500th friend has just joined the BSD Cafe's Mastodon instance.
This calls for a celebration!

EDIT: 500 users are currently registered, not counting those who moved, left, or started self-hosting.

#BSDCafe #FreeBSD #NetBSD #OpenBSD #DragonflyBSD #RunBSD

Thank you ❤️

#RunBSD

The last BSDCan 2025 video has been posted!
Adventures in porting a Wayland Compositor to NetBSD and OpenBSD by Jeff Frasca

https://youtu.be/oo_8gnWQ4xo

I'm typing this in my Xuake Wayland Compositor on OpenBSD.

I started this journey on the NetBSD 9.99.x branch and ended up having to dig into the guts of wscons, mesa, libdrm, the kernel drm subsystem, the AMDGPU driver and more. I have a couple of very small, but hard fought patches in the NetBSD kernel. It's not over yet, either. I still have a few bugs around the compositor shutdown process and a lot of integration work to be able to hope to have other people try this out.

Topics to cover in the talk include (but are not limited to):

History of Wayland and other background info

How your graphics stack and driver is organized and actually works

The actual porting journey on both NetBSD and OpenBSD

A Demo! I should be able to show it running

Current status, future work

For more information, please visit:
https://www.bsdcan.org/2025/
- and -
https://www.bsdcan.org/2025/timetable/timetable-Adventures-in-porting.html

#wayland #runbsd #openbsd #netbsd

22 days to go!
Why BSDs in 2025?

My perspective and why we moved many services from Linux to the BSDs.

https://it-notes.dragas.net/2025/03/23/osday-2025-why-choose-bsd-in-2025/

#EuroBSDConAdvent #EuroBSDCon #BSD #FreeBSD #OpenBSD #NetBSD #DragonFlyBSD #ZFS #PF #RunBSD

Today is Monday, 1st September. And September means one thing: EuroBSDCon!

23 days to go until EuroBSDCon 2025 in Zagreb!

I’m doing a little “advent calendar” for BSD fans: each day until the conference I’ll share one article from it-notes.dragas.net about FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, DragonFlyBSD, ZFS, PF and more. The dedicated hashtag will be #EuroBSDConAdvent

Let’s start right away with "I Solve Problems" - my EuroBSDCon 2024 (and #BSDCan 2025) talk about migrating from Linux to BSDs:

https://it-notes.dragas.net/2024/10/03/i-solve-problems-eurobsdcon/

If you’re coming to Zagreb, reply to this post - it would be nice to meet up with fellow BSD users!

#EuroBSDCon #BSD #FreeBSD #OpenBSD #NetBSD #DragonFlyBSD #ZFS #PF #RunBSD #EuroBSDConAdvent

A bug!!! Provost & Reuschling reaching for the swatter! #Hackathon #FreeBSD #RunBSD #Oslo 🪰🪰🪰

⚠️ News/Changes:

BoxyBSD will bring in a feature for more advanced users for our free boxes. Instead of only selecting a set of pre-defined BSD based images, you'll soon also be able to create your install simply from scratch with full remote access to your box. This lets you perform custom installations of #FreeBSD, #NetBSD, #OpenBSD, #DragonflyBSD, #MidnightBSD but also of some other niche systems like #illumos

Unfortunately, this might still take some time and fully relies on the spare time of @gyptazy.

#freeVPS #VPS #BSD #Box #BoxyBSD #gyptazy #opensource #education #community #foss #runbsd #hosting #freehosting #learning #ipv6

See referenced text below:

Theo de Raadt (deraadt@) updated the version of OpenBSD -current to "7.7-current".

Those running the latest-and-greatest [via a sufficiently new snapshot or built from source] no longer need to use "-D snap" with pkg_add(1) (and pkg_info(1)).

"No head I will not wipe FreeBSD from my laptop in favor of OpenBSD!" 🙄

https://bsd-hardware.info/?probe=8e3bae7f65

Hello to our friends in Singapore 🇸🇬!

We’re happy to announce that we just opened up a new POP in Sin1, SG to come even closer to you! What does it mean?! IP-Space in Singapore including GEO objects & lower latencies in your area 🥳

Thanks to Route64 and @gyptazy !

#RUNBSD #FreeBSD #OpenBSD #NetBSD #BSD #BSDHosting #Hosting #VM #VPS #IPv6 #BGP #Singapore #BoxyBSD

#RunBSD #dragonflybsd #FreeBSD #NetBSD #OpenBSD #Linux

bwfm patches in #OpenBSD 7.7-current will bring better WiFi handling on M1/M2 #Apple Silicon (and likely older intel Macs, too): https://marc.info/?l=openbsd-tech&m=175438802707232&w=2
#broadcom #runbsd

Some friendships just don't crash. 😉 Happy Friendship Day from your most stable and reliable OS. 💻❤️ #RunBSD #FriendshipDay #SysAdmin #FreeBSD #OpenBSD #NetBSD #GhostBSD #DragonflyBSD #MidnightBSD #HardenedBSD & other BSDs i might have missed :)

What are you missing at @BoxyBSD?

Let me know what miss, what you need and how I can improve the service to make it easier and better for you!

#opensource #hosting #ipv6 #freevps #boxybsd #runbsd #bsd #devops #freebsd #openbsd #netbsd #dn42 #peering

#RUNBSD! But BoxyBSD now also starts to support #Linux! We're starting soon with the Linux support for already present users, offering free boxes:

* #AlmaLinux
* #Alpine
* #Debian
* #Devuan
* #CentOS
* #Fedora
* #Gentoo
* #OpenSuse
* #OpenEuler
* #RockyLinux

Just next to our core OS like #FreeBSD, #OpenBSD, #NetBSD, #MidnightBSD and #DragonflyBSD (and #illumos). This should also make the step easier to compare and test different scenarios where BSD provides a different behavior compared to Linux systems.

Thanks to @gyptazy for the implementation!

#VPS #VM #VirtualMachine #OpenSource #Hosting #IPv6 #BGP #FreeHosting #Community

This is what I answered to the question "Why are you still using #OpenBSD and why should we?" at the #UNIXsocialClub of #Dijon, #France, last weekend.

Slides in French. Post in english.

#RunBSD

https://www.tumfatig.net/2025/why-are-you-still-using-openbsd/

Okay, I did something... time to provide BSD boxes at @BoxyBSD a bit closer to our buddies in Asia! #RUNBSD

#FreeBSD #NetBSD #OpenBSD #DrangonflyBSD #MidnightBSD #illumos #opensolaris

Alt...

whois output of a newly assigned IPv6 network at JPNIC for boxes in Asia

Anyway, I've reduced my ambitions ever so slightly, and am now in the process of installing NetBSD (-CURRENT) on what is essentially a 386SX-class machine: 16-bit bus, 24-bit addressing, 16MB RAM, and nearly as unpleasantly slow as the 286 I had planned to use. It is however equipped with an IBM-branded 486SLC, which is from the Blue Lightning series. This one definitely has a full 486 instruction set. More hardware details will follow when I've completed the build (and installation).

Meanwhile, the obligatory screenshot from the installer. Note the ETA for simply unpacking base.tgz ..
#RunBSD #Retrocomputing #Slowcomputing

Alt...

Screenshot from installer. Shows base.txz being extracted, at a speed of 110 KB/s. ETA given is about 30 minutes, which turned out to be relatively accurate.

All of those things are absolutely wonderful and make many of todays software developers look ... spoiled? What I want, however - and what I love doing - is making this old hardware do stuff its makers never dreamt of, things that are as far removed from their time as possible. That's why I will, if #NetBSD permits, run bleeding edge BSD on a 286-on-486steroids, and why I run web+ftp+irc servers (yes, multitaskign) on one 286 and multiple BBS nodes on a 386 - like one used to do, of course.

I cannot state often enough how amazing it is that there's still software developed today that will work under such constraints.

#RunBSD #EndOfRant

Until #snac starts doing work of course. Then I just sit back and wait.
#RunBSD #Patience

https://github.com/ltning/sshbench

#unix #ssh #benchmark #shellscript #bourne #runbsd

#unix #runbsd #retrocomputing #486

Alt...

Console screenshot. Plaintext 80x50 mode, with screen(1) running htop(1) and neofetch(1), split horizontally.