@bpl you will generally see your email at https://mail-index.netbsd.org/tech-install/index.html if not do reach out to team on IRC #netbsd-code @netbsd

I have announced the winner of the third weekly giveaway:

https://retroedgetech.substack.com/p/unexpected-xfce-thinkcentre-tiny

#Linux #NetBSD #computer #giveAway #TinyMiniMicro #xfce

Happy International Day for Biological Diversity! 🌱

A diverse ecosystem is a strong ecosystem. In the tech world, NetBSD brings vital diversity by proving that clean, portable, and secure code can run on virtually any architecture. This adaptability keeps computing open and accessible to everyone.

Let's keep the digital ecosystem diverse. Consider supporting the NetBSD Foundation today by contributing code, writing documentation, or making a donation! 💻🚩
#NetBSD #BiodiversityDay #OpenSource #TechDiversity #FOSS #RetroComputing #Sustainability #Linux #RunBSD #FreeBSD #OpenBSD

@thezerobit

Is this on X ? If so try adding the text from the file noted below to your "/etc/X11/xorg.conf". This helped me with #netbsd #x11 Mouse handling.

curl 'gopher://sdf.org/0/users/jmccue/downloads/netbsd_Xmouse.txt' > mouse.txt

the text after sdf.org is : 0/users/jmccue/downloads/netbsd_Xmouse.txt

My #1 issue with #NetBSD on my Thinkpad is the trackpad handling. The program `syndaemon` isn't available probably because NetBSD does trackpad / mouse handling a bit differently than other operating systems. (It's a program that disables the trackpad while typing. Without it, I'm constantly getting erroneous movements with my palms while typing.)

Anyways, I'm looking to port it to NetBSD and have it just disable the unified trackpad/mouse device while typing.

@justine

I think it's great that you pursue the problem consistently until a solution is found.
#OpenBSD is enjoyable, even the installer is well thought out.
However, it's not my first choice personally.
At the moment I mainly use #FreeBSD, less #Linux, and I keep an eye on OpenBSD. I would like to test #NetBSD and NixOS more thoroughly when I have time, for now I'm very satisfied with FreeBSD.

@rqm

It certainly looks like it, doesn't it? Especially as that looks like the output of the dot.profile from the miniroot/ramdisc.

See the INSTALL notes. Installation over a serial console assumes 9600 BPS, and there's an explicit stty that forces that just after echoing that line.

#NetBSD

The BSD community here on the Fediverse has been inspiring to me and learning more about Unix has made me feel that computers and software can be exciting and enjoyable to use again. I want to learn more about alternative operating systems, I want to see discussions and fun projects on the Fediverse and instead of just lurking or scrolling endless to find those things, why not just make it myself?

#30DayBSDChallenge #runbsd #freebsd #netbsd #openbsd

If anyone else wants to participate, I will be starting this June 1st. Each week there will be a “challenge”. The rules are simple.

• Have fun trying out an alternative OS and learning something new
• Use a BSD distribution for the month of June as your primary computer device
• Complete the Weekly Challenge posts
• Post about your experience using the hashtag #30DayBSDChallenge

#runbsd #freebsd #netbsd #openbsd

Inspired by the YouTube channel LTT’s latest “30 day” switch to Linux challenge, for the month of June, I am doing a 30 day challenge to switch to FreeBSD. I currently dual boot Debian and Windows but I have been “daily driving” Linux for over 10 years now. I want to learn more about how operating systems work, and FreeBSD with its Linux binary compatibility and support for wine means it could possibly become the only OS on my desktop.

#30DayBSDChallenge #runbsd #freebsd #netbsd #openbsd

@bpl https://mastodon.sdf.org/@netbsd/116537862178252362

#NetBSD is clear on policy noAI will be accepted in source. That's why we need to fund the foundation

But at the end of day I am hypocrite because I need Fish Linux for y*-dlp and gov websites.
#noAI

Trying to boot #NetBSD 11RC4 / hpcarm on the iPaq H3600. Looks promising but it suddenly switches over to garbage output -- is this a baud rate issue (suddenly it decides to swap to a different baud rate?) or something else? See screenshot attached:
#RunBSD

Alt...

Screenshot of console output for, NetBSD 11.0_RC4 (INSTALL_IPAQ) #0: Tue May 12 04:23:51 UTC 2026 mkrepro@mkrepro.NetBSD.org:/usr/src/sys/arch/hpcarm/compile/INSTALL_IPAQ

@joel

OK, the toasters will have to wait for #netbsd 11.

And then, we dial all the toasters to 11!

Had to finish my #NetBSD 11.0 RC3 test write-up after upgrading some machines to RC4 this week, so this post has straddle marks.

https://jspath55.blogspot.com/2026/05/netbsd-11-rc3-heat-rc4-and-more.html

#retrocomputing #vintagecomputing #search #searchengine #frogfind #NetBSD #Links #unix #lynx #unix

Catch of the Day: The text terminal on NetBSD lives! 🐧

Hey Retro Fans!

Many of us use FrogFind on graphical systems like Windows 95 or Mac OS 9. But at its core, FrogFind is a text-first project. Just how well this works was proven to us today by this guest:

Links 2.8 on NetBSD!

Among the BSD operating systems (the purist cousins of Linux), NetBSD is legendary for its portability. It's not for nothing that the NetBSD community's motto is: "Of course it runs NetBSD!" Whether on old toasters, a Sega Dreamcast, or obscure server hardware—NetBSD just runs.

The fact that someone today opens a terminal under NetBSD and fires up the text-based browser "Links" (a direct relative of Lynx) to search the web via FrogFind is pure command-line romance. No flashing banners, no intrusive JavaScript, just lightning-fast, raw text on one of the cleanest UNIX derivatives in the world.

Stay purist and keep hacking on the shell!
Your FrogFind Team 🐸

Alt...

NetBSD

@joel

ESPECIALLY the toasters!!!

Wait... We are talking about #OpenBSD here, not #NetBSD!! 🤓

multidisplay hack for #OpenBSD, #NetBSD xenodm/xdm.

#!/bin/ksh

# Define variables at the top for easy access
readonly MULTIDISPLAY_DIRECTION="--right-of"

# find list of connected monitors to span
monitors=$(xrandr --query | awk '/[^s]connected/{print $1}')

# the first monitor found will be the primary
primary=$(echo "$monitors" | head -n 1)

# initialize the xrandr command
xrandr_cmd="xrandr --output $primary --auto --primary"

# loop through the displays, assigning them --auto and MULTIDISPLAY_DIRECTION with randr
previous=$primary
for monitor in $monitors
do
    if [ "$monitor" != "$primary" ]; then
        xrandr_cmd+=" --output $monitor --auto $MULTIDISPLAY_DIRECTION $previous"
        previous=$monitor
    fi
done

# Execute the composed xrandr command
eval "$xrandr_cmd"

could drop in to your Xsetup_0 file. written in ksh, should work in OpenBSD’s ksh and NetBSD’s ksh.

@thezerobit

From what I’ve briefly looked into, it might even be possible to set up a root filesystem with ZFS on #netbsd. I’m not sure what the comments about memory usage are referring to—I have several VPS instances, as well as some home machines running on #OrangePi with 512MB of RAM, and they all run perfectly fine with ZFS on FreeBSD.

I think I’ll try to see how NetBSD ZFS performs in real-world conditions with 512MB🤣

https://wiki.netbsd.org/zfs

@veer66 #pkgsrc works on a number of different operating systems, including Linux and MacOS. You don't have to run #NetBSD to use pkgsrc 🤘

I've made more progress with getting #NetBSD running and mostly usable on my Thinkpad T580. I started a document with my notes on how to set up a usable desktop. Some of this information is missing from the NetBSD Guide, Wiki, and FAQ & HOWTOs pages. Some of it was buried deep in man pages, or found by extensively searching pkgsrc repository. https://codeberg.org/thezerobit/public_notes/src/branch/main/netbsd_notes.md

I have yet to figure out how to automatically disable the touchpad while typing.

Yesterday I updated my laptop to #NetBSD 11 RC4. Went smooth. After I upgraded #pkgsrc to 2026Q1 using pkg_chk. It was the first time I managed to upgrade pkgsrc packages using this tool without problems! 🥳

Toot from #pkgsrc/www/firefox-151.0b10 under #NetBSD/amd64-current. It is better than 150.

I'm upgrading #NetBSD on my laptop to the latest RC (11.0 RC4) in this coffee shop, soaking up all the Wi-Fi bandwidth downloading source sets which I didn't realize are not on the install image but need to be downloaded on the fly.

Casually reading The UNIX Programming Environment by Kernighan and Pike. I've been Linuxing for nearly 30 years, so it's not like I'm a stranger to this environment, but it's nice to peruse one of its sacred texts.
#UNIX #BSD

@bentsukun Is there something wrong with Postfix in RC4? #NetBSD

NetBSD 11 RC4 is here! Huge thanks to all the devs getting this ready for the final release.

Quick reminder since we are almost halfway through the year: The NetBSD Foundation needs our help to keep things running. If you appreciate clean code, software freedom, and an OS that literally runs on anything, OS which rejects A.I. slop, please consider making a donation. Let's help them hit their 2026 goals!
Grab the RC: https://blog.netbsd.org/tnf/entry/netbsd_11_0_rc4_available
Support the foundation: https://www.netbsd.org/donations/
#NetBSD #FOSS #OpenSource #antiaislop #Linux

#Linux users who haven't tried #NetBSD yet will be haunted by these tonight:

And we get a new #Slackware kernel today (5.15.206) to correct the very last CVE from #DirtyFrag - nothing published on the web site yet, but I suspect that's the one.

Also: one more Linux kernel update or zero day and I will seriously consider moving to #OpenBSD or #NetBSD for good...

Continuing adventures in #NetBSD on my Thinkpad...
I managed to get #XFCE up and running using the NetBSD Guide (disabling XDM helped). Tip: `pkgin install xfce4-extras` to get some useful panel widgets. Also, I managed to configure an additional Wi-fi network successfully (the coffee shop I am at right now). I installed Firefox 128. They have newer versions in the repository, but I wanted a slightly old version with less bullshit.

🧵

#retrocomputing #vintagecomputing #search #searchengine #frogfind #NetBSD #arcticfox #unix

Catch of the Day: "Of course it runs NetBSD!" 🐡🦊

Hey Retro Fans!

Did you have a good weekend? Our bouncer at the FrogFind pond was certainly busy and waved a guest through yesterday that put a massive smile on our faces:

ArcticFox 52.9 on NetBSD!

Among hardcore Unix nerds, there is a famous catchphrase: "Of course it runs NetBSD!" This open-source operating system is legendary for its portability. It has been ported to run on almost anything with a processor—from old toasters and Sega Dreamcasts to massive server racks.

The fact that someone navigated to our pond using NetBSD is already awesome. But the combination with the ArcticFox browser makes it a masterpiece. ArcticFox is a lovingly maintained community fork (based on Pale Moon) specifically kept alive to enable modern browsing on exotic architectures, PowerPC Macs, and old UNIX derivatives.

Cheers to the tinkerers keeping exotic systems online!

Your FrogFind Team 🐸

Alt...

NetBSD

TIL that #NetBSD doesn’t provide Linux emulation on #arm64.

#Fedora #Suse #Linux refugees are welcome to the #NetBSD world :)

https://www.theregister.com/oses/2026/05/10/both-fedora-and-ubuntu-will-get-ai-support-soon/5237409

#NetBSD

https://www.theregister.com/software/2026/05/09/macos-27-threatens-to-bury-time-capsule-foss-brings-a-shovel/5234824

I installed #NetBSD on my #Thinkpad T580. Amazingly, it works. If you select to install XDM (X Display Manager) during installation, then you boot to a graphical login that loads a very primitive X environment with CTWM a window manager for X that gives off distinct 1992 vibes, which happens to be the year it was created. It's an austere #UNIX environment. Perfect, honestly. There are modern desktops in the package repository. My first impressions are A+.